Infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country has touched a record low of 25, a sharp dip of 37.5 per cent from 40 in 2013, according to the Sample Registration System report for 2023 issued by the Registrar General of India.IMR is a key public health indicator defined as number of deaths of children per 1,000 live births under one year — the lower the number the better the health accessibility.
According to the SRS 2023 report, which took into account the data for 2023, IMR has registered a dramatic 80 per cent decline from 129 in 1971. It shows that Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh reported the highest levels of IMR in the country at 37. The lowest was Manipur at 3.
Kerala was the only of the 21 large states which reported a single digit IMR of 5. It is second in the country after Manipur.
The report shows a countrywide decline of IMR from 44 to 28 in rural areas. In in urban areas of the country the numbers dipped from 27 to 18. This marks decadal drops of about 36 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
The report also highlights decline in birth rates and death rates in the country.
Birth rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and is a crucial determinant of population growth. It gives the number of live births per thousand population in a given region and year.
“The Birth Rate at all India level has declined drastically over the last five decades from 36.9 in 1971 to 18.4 in 2023. The rural-urban differential has also narrowed over these years. However, the Birth Rate has continued to be higher in rural areas compared to urban areas in the last five decades,” it said.