Why in the news
The Registrar General’s SRS Statistical Report 2021 showed birth rates in Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala dropping about twice as fast as the national average.
Key facts
- All-India crude birth rate (live births per 1,000 people): 19.3 in 2021, with an average yearly fall of 1.12% in 2016-2021.
- TFR reached 2.0, i.e. replacement-level fertility.
- Sex ratio at birth moved from 899 to 913 females per 1,000 males.
| Indicator | 2014 | 2021 |
|---|
| MMR (per 100,000 live births) | 130 | 93 |
| IMR (per 1,000, under 1 year) | 39 | 27 |
| NMR (per 1,000, under 28 days) | 26 | 19 |
| U5MR (per 1,000) | 45 | 31 |
| Indicator | India’s fall (1990-2023) | Global fall |
|---|
| MMR | 86% | 48% |
| U5MR | 78% | 61% |
| NMR | 70% | 54% |
| IMR | 71% | 58% |
Reasons for the gains
- Ayushman Bharat cover for vulnerable groups.
- Maternity waiting homes, SNCUs and MCH wings; skilled birth attendants and midwives.
- Evidence-based care such as antenatal corticosteroids and CPAP for newborns; digital tracking; free, quality, no-denial services.
- India is on track for the maternal and child health SDG targets.
Birth rate decline by state
| Pace | States (annual decline) |
|---|
| Fastest | Tamil Nadu 2.35%, Delhi 2.23%, Kerala 2.05%; then Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, J&K and others |
| Slowest | Rajasthan 0.48%, Bihar 0.86%, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand 0.98%, Assam and Madhya Pradesh 1.05%, West Bengal 1.08%, Uttar Pradesh 1.09% |
- All southern states fell faster than average; Punjab was close to the national pace.
- Uttarakhand alone saw a rising birth rate.
- Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh had above-average TFR and GRR (daughters per woman surviving to reproductive age).
Exam angle
- CBR 2021: 19.3; TFR: 2.0.
- Slowest decline: Rajasthan; only rising state: Uttarakhand.