Births and Deaths in India

According to the Vital Statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) report for 2023, the country recorded 2.52 crore births and 86.6 lakh deaths.

Key Highlights of the Report:

1. Number of Births:

   • 2.52 crore births were registered in 2023, which is around 2.32 lakh fewer than in 2022.

2. Number of Deaths:

   • 86.6 lakh deaths were recorded in 2023, marking a marginal increase from 86.5 lakh in 2022.

   • Despite the high number of deaths reported during the COVID-19 pandemic, the data did not show a major spike in the years 2022 and 2023, even though the Health Ministry's COVID-19 dashboard reported 533,665 pandemic-induced deaths as of May 2025.

   • A significant rise in deaths occurred in 2021, which saw 21 lakh more deaths compared to 2020 due to COVID-19.

3. Sex Ratio at Birth:

   • The lowest sex ratio at birth was reported by Jharkhand at 899, followed by Bihar (900), Telangana (906), Maharashtra (909), and others.

   • Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest sex ratio at 1,085, followed by Nagaland (1,007), Goa (973), Ladakh and Tripura (972), and Kerala (967).

4. Institutional Births:

   • The proportion of institutional births (births in hospitals or clinics) was 74% in 2023, showing a significant shift towards formal medical assistance during childbirth.

5. Registration of Births:

   • The overall registration of births for 2023 stood at 98.4%.

   • 11 States/UTs achieved more than 90% registration of births within the prescribed 21-day limit. These States/UTs include:

     • Gujarat, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, and Punjab.

   • States like Odisha, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh reported a registration rate of 80-90%.

   • However, 14 States/UTs recorded 50-80% birth registration, including Assam, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Uttar Pradesh.

Implications and Insights:

• Decline in Births: The decrease in the number of births from the previous year suggests a continuing trend of lower fertility rates, which aligns with demographic trends in many countries.

• COVID-19 Impact: The marginal increase in deaths during 2022-2023 compared to the earlier pandemic years shows a recovery in mortality rates post-pandemic, with the large excess deaths in 2021 still significantly influencing the data.

• Sex Ratio Concerns: The skewed sex ratios in certain states indicate ongoing challenges related to gender preference, which could have long-term socio-economic and demographic consequences.

• Improvement in Birth Registration: The high registration rates (especially in some states) reflect improvements in administrative efficiency and health sector access, although challenges remain in certain states where the registration rate is lower.