Assam’s infant mortality rate drops from 41 to 30 in five years, rural-urban gap persists

Guwahati, Sept 26: Assam has reported substantial progress in reducing the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the period between 2018 and 2023. As per latest government data, Assam’s IMR stood at 30 in 2023, as against 41 in 2018.

The IMR in the rural areas of the State was 32 in 2023, while it was as low as 15 in the urban areas.

Assam had registered an overall IMR of 41 in 2018, which decreased marginally to 40 in 2019, before falling further to 36 in 2020, 34 in 2021, 32 in 2022, and 30 in 2023, the latest year for which data was released recently.

The IMR varied across different states and Union Territories (UTs) in India, ranging from three in Manipur to 37 in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh in 2023. In most cases, the IMR was higher in rural areas compared to urban areas.

Assam had the highest difference in IMR between rural (32) and urban areas (15).

The overall IMR in India decreased from 42.3 in 2011-13 (three-year period) to 26.3 in 2021-23. The rural IMR declined by 36.3 per cent, while the urban IMR came down by 36 per cent.

In Assam, the IMR dipped by over 41 per cent during the period, from 54.9 in 2011-13 to 32.1 in 2011-23. The decrease in the IMR between 2011-13 and 2021-23 in the rural areas of Assam was 40.8 per cent, while in urban areas it fell by 53.2 per cent.

The State’s overall Neo-Natal Mortality Rate was 21 in 2023. It was 22 in the urban areas and 12 in the rural areas of Assam.

The percentage share of neo-natal deaths to infant deaths was 70.2 per cent in the year under review.India’s overall Neo-Natal Mortality Rate was 19 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, with a higher rate in rural areas (21 deaths per 1,000 live births) than in urban areas (13 deaths per 1,000 live births).

The percentage of neo-natal deaths to infant deaths was 73.2 per cent, indicating that a significant proportion of infant deaths occurred within the first 28 days of life.

Likewise, the overall Early Neo-Natal Mortality Rate in Assam was 15 in 2023. The State also reported an overall Peri-Natal Mortality Rate of 20 and a stillbirth rate of six.

The Under-Five Mortality Rate in Assam stood at 33 overall in 2023. The rate was 35 in rural areas and 16 in urban areas of the State.

The Crude Death Rate (CDR) stood at 6.2 in Assam in 2023 as against a national average of 6.4. The CDR in rural Assam that year was 6.3, while it was 5.6 in the urban areas.

The State’s overall CDR registered a decline of 19 per cent between 2011-13 and 2021-23. As per the latest data, the percentage share of population in various age groups showed a higher proportion in the working age.

While 25.8 per cent of the State’s population was in the age group of 0-14 years in 2023, the share of those in the 15-59 years group was 66.6 per cent. Another 7.6 per cent were in the age group of 60 years and above.

At the national level, the total percentage of the population in the age-group of 15-59 years was 66.1 per cent, with 65.9 per cent for males and 66.2 per cent for females.

The rural areas had a slightly lower percentage of the population in this age-group (64.6 per cent) compared to urban areas (68.8 per cent).

There were also variations in the percentage of males and females in this age-group across different states and UTs, and between rural and urban areas.

For instance, Jammu & Kashmir had the highest percentage of females in this age-group in rural areas at 70.1 per cent, while Assam had the highest percentage of females in the age-group of 15-59 years in urban areas at 72.4 per cent.

Delhi had the highest percentage of males in the age-group of 15-59 years in rural areas at 72.9 per cent, while Assam had the highest percentage of males in this age-group in urban areas at 70.9 per cent.