RGI released three reports – CRS, SRS and MCCD 2021; Life expectancy in India Drops

The Registrar General of India (RGI), under the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA), released three reports for 2021: the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2021, the Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021, and the Report on the Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) 2021.

• CRS is the record of all registered deaths and births in India.
• SRS is a survey-based estimate of births and deaths and tries to cover unregistered births and deaths as well, making it a vital complement to the CRS data.
• The MCCD captures a small fraction of the CRS deaths where deaths are medically certified.

Key Highlights:

i.According to the 2021 SRS report, the Crude Death Rate (CDR), which measures the number of deaths per 1,000 people, rose to 7.5, marking 2021 as the deadliest year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

ii.Even the CRS, which counts only registered deaths, shows an increase of around 2 million deaths in 2021.

iii.While, the MCCD report counted 4,13,580 Covid-19 deaths in 2021 and 160,618 deaths in 2020.

iv.Across 32 states and Union territories that reported higher deaths, Uttar Pradesh(UP), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu(TN), Madhya Pradesh(MP), Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh(AP), Kerala, West Bengal(WB), Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand and Delhi have recorded significantly increased number of deaths registered in a year from 2020 to 2021.

Death Rate and Birth Rate:

i.In 2021, the death rate in rural areas increased from 6.4 to 7.9, while in cities it increased from 5.1 to 6.6 between 2020 and 2021 respectively.

ii.The birth rate also saw a decline at the all India level, dropping from 36.9 in 1971 to 19.3 in 2021.

• The corresponding decline in rural areas (from 23.1 to 20.9) is higher than in urban areas (from 17.4 to 15.9) respectively.

iii.Meanwhile, the registered births have also reduced marginally by about 0.1% from 24.22 million to 24.2 million.

Decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and Infant Mortality Ratio (IMR):

i.According to the SRS report, the all-India MMR for 2019-21 is 93 deaths per 1,00,000 live births, recording a decline of 37 points, from 130 deaths per 1 lakh live births during 2014–2016.

• MMR for Assam dropped from 195 to 167 deaths per lakh live births, as per latest SRS report, marking a record 28-point fall, the highest among all states for 2019-2021.

ii.The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of the country has declined from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1000 live births in 2021.

• At 167, Assam has the second-highest MMR among Indian states, only next to Madhya Pradesh (MP), where the IMR was 175 from 2019 to 2021.

iii.Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) has declined from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1000 live births in 2021. Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has declined from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 31 per 1000 live births in 2021.

iv.The Sex Ratio at Birth improves from 899 in 2014 to 913 in 2021. Total Fertility Rate(TFR) is consistent at 2.0 in 2021, which is a significant improvement from 2.3 in 2014.

States Achieving SDG Target for MMR:

i.Eight States have already attained SDG target of MMR (<=70 by 2030): Kerala (20), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (45), AP(46), TN (49), Jharkhand (51), Gujarat (53), Karnataka (63).

ii.Twelve States/UT have already attained SDG target of U5MR (<=25 by 2030): Kerala (8), Delhi (14), TN (14), Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) (16), Maharashtra (16), West Bengal(WB) (20), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), Telangana (22), Himachal Pradesh(HP) (23), AP (24) and Gujarat (24).

iii.Six States/ UT have already attained SDG target of NMR (<=12 by 2030): Kerala (4), Delhi (8), TN (9), Maharashtra (11), J & K (12) and HP (12).

Life expectancy in India drops:

i.Expectation of life at birth for India has dropped for the first time in 50 years, registering a decrease of 0.2 years in a year.

ii.According to the SRS, Life expectancy at birth has been estimated at 69.8 years between 2017 and 2021, compared to 2016-2020. Urban areas experienced a sharper decline of 0.3 years, while rural regions saw a 0.1-year drop.

• Life expectancy at birth was registered highest in Delhi at 73 years for males and Kerala for females at 77.9 years.
• The lowest was noted in Chhattisgarh with 62.8 years for males and 66.4 years for females.
• The maximum per annum average increase in life expectancy for males during the period 1970-75 to 2017-21 has been observed in Odisha and the minimum in Haryana.
• For females, the maximum annual increase has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and the minimum in Kerala.

Points to Note:

i.As per the latest United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group (UN-MMEIG) Report 2000–2023, India’s MMR has reduced by 23 points between 2020 and 2023.

• With this progress, India has recorded an overall 86% decline in MMR over the 33-year period from 1990 to 2023, significantly outperforming the global reduction of 48% during the same period.

ii.India’s remarkable progress in reducing child mortality has also been highlighted in the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) Report 2024.

Important terms:

• Death Rate: It offers the closest estimate of morality and is measured as the number of deaths per thousand population in a given region and time period.
• Birth Rate: The factor is a crude determinant of fertility of a population and crucial measure to understand population growth. Birth rate gives the number of live births per thousand population of a given region and year.
• Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): It is a key indicator of maternal health, defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births during a specific time period
• Infant Mortality Ratio (IMR): It is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year.
• Total Fertility Rate(TFR): represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

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