Infant mortality rate falling slowest in states with worst track record

SRS data shows that infant mortality in rural areas had declined faster than urban centres between 2011-15; the situation has reversed again in favour of urban areas

India undoubtedly has something to celebrate; the new Sample Registration Survey (SRS) data shows that the infant mortality rate—infants who die before turning one, out of 1,000 childbirths—in the country came down to 30 in 2019 compared to 44 in 2011 and 50 a decade ago.

However, a further analysis of SRS data shows that seven states still have higher infant mortality than the rest of the country.

While India has set a target of an IMR of 25 for itself, 13 states still have a higher IMR than 25.

Of the 7 states with a higher infant mortality ratio, four—Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Chhattisgarh—have an IMR of over 40. What’s worse, the pace of decline in 7 states is slowing down.

The infant mortality rate for the country decreased 18.9 per cent for the five years between 2015 and 2019; the rate of decline was 15.9 per cent between 2011-15. Fourteen states had witnessed a lower growth than average. But for the worst three states, the fall was even lower than the 2011-15 period.

The difference was even starker between urban and rural regions. The pace of urban decline in infant mortality was faster than the pace of rural decline. Moreover, while rural areas witnessed a speedier increase in infant mortality, the situation reversed in 2019. Even the gap between the rate of decline had increased in favour of the urban regions.

Between 2011 and 2015, infant mortality in urban areas had declined 13.8 per cent, whereas rural India had witnessed a 14.6 per cent decline in infant mortality. But for the five years till 2019, urban areas saw a 20 per cent decline in infant mortality, whereas the decrease in rural areas was just 17.1 per cent.

In rural areas, the rate of decline for Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the two worst-performing states, had halved compared to 2011-15. In rural areas, Madhya Pradesh’s infant mortality was 50, whereas the national average was 34.

In urban centres, Chhattisgarh, which is the worst performer, witnessed an increase in infant mortality. In contrast, infant mortality in urban Chhattisgarh had declined 22 per cent between 2011-15.