In a decade of progress, Telangana’s IMR plummets by 52 per cent, public health milestone

Telangana has recorded a 52% decline in Infant Mortality Rate over the last decade, dropping from 41.2 to 18 per 1,000 live births. Both rural and urban areas show improvements, surpassing the national average and highlighting progress in maternal and child health

Hyderabad: In the last decade, between 2011-2013 and 2021-23, Telangana has achieved a remarkable 52 per cent drop in its Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), according to the latest data from SRS Statistical Report 2023, which was released last week by the Census Commissioner of India.

Way back in 2011-2013, when Telangana was part of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the state’s overall IMR was 41.2 per 1,000 live births. A decade later, by 2021-23, Telangana’s overall IMR has fallen to 18 per 1,000 live births, a creditable drop of over 50 per cent. The decline clearly highlights the massive development that has taken place in improving mother and child health infrastructure and is a clear public health milestone.

---

The 52 per cent drop in Telangana’s overall IMR since its formation is a faster pace of improvement than the national average, according to the SRS data. Among all the Indian States, in the last decade, only Jammu and Kashmir has a higher percentage drop in IMR than Telangana.

“The data reveals that the overall Infant Mortality Rate in India has decreased by 37.8 per cent from 42.3 in 2011-13 to 26.3 in 2021-23. The rural IMR has decreased by 36.3 per cent while the urban IMR has decreased by 36.0 per cent. Among the bigger States/UTs, the highest decline in percentage change for IMR was observed in Jammu and Kashmir, which is 63 per cent. Chhattisgarh had the lowest decline in the percentage for Infant Mortality Rate, which is 19. Per cent,” the SRS statistical report said.

Overall, Telangana’s IMR levels are significantly lower than the national average in both urban and rural areas. The national IMR in the country is 25, with rural IMR at and the urban IMR at 18, the SRS data indicated.

Telangana and its IMR:

United AP: 2011-2013: (Telangana IMR also included in Andhra Pradesh)

Overall IMR: 41.2

Rural: 45.7

Urban: 29.8

Telangana: 2021-23:

Overall IMR: 18

Male: 19

Female: 17

Rural regions:

Total IMR: 20

Males: 21

Females: 19

Urban regions:

Total IMR: 15

Males: 15

Females: 14

Overall India IMR (2011-13): 42.3

Overall India IMR (2021-23): 26.3