TNI National Desk: India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) has fallen to a record low of 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) report by the Registrar General of India. This marks a sharp decline of 37.5% from 40 in 2013 and an 80% drop from 129 in 1971.
Manipur reported the lowest IMR in the country at 3, while Kerala was the only large state with a single-digit IMR of 5. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest levels at 37.
The report shows improvements across rural and urban areas. Rural IMR declined from 44 in 2013 to 28 in 2023, while urban IMR dropped from 27 to 18.
Birth and death rates have also steadily reduced over the decades. The national birth rate fell from 36.9 in 1971 to 18.4 in 2023. In the last decade alone, it dropped 14%, with rural areas at 20.3 and urban areas at 14.9 in 2023. Bihar recorded the highest birth rate at 25.8, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the lowest at 10.1.
The death rate decreased from 14.9 in 1971 to 6.4 in 2023. In 2023, rural areas recorded a rate of 6.8 and urban areas 5.7. Chandigarh had the lowest death rate at 4, while Chhattisgarh reported the highest at 8.3.