Drop in Telangana infant death rate

Down from 34 in 2015 to 21 in 2020; national infant mortality rate is 28

The infant mortality rate (IMR) in Telangana has dropped from 34 in 2015 to 21 in 2020. The Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin-2020, which was recently issued, shows that IMR in rural Telangana was 24 while for the urban region, it was 17. The year before, in 2019, it was 26 for rural and 18 for urban.

The bulletin provides annual estimates of birth rate, death rate, IMR, and other fertility and mortality indicators at the national and sub-national levels. The latest one was issued on Thursday.

IMR is defined as infant deaths (less than one year) per thousand live births in a given time period and for a given region. The estimated IMR for the country for 2020 stood at 28 while Telangana’s was 21.

According to the latest SRS bulletin, birth rate for the country in 2020 was estimated at 19.5 and the death rate at 6.0. In Telangana, the birth rate was 16.4. Further, it stated that the birth rate in the rural part of the State was 16.8 and 15.9 in urban region.

“Birth rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and a crucial determinant of population growth. It gives the number of live births per thousand population in a given region and year,” the bulletin stated.