Central government data for 2022–24 show Assam has made measurable gains in key demographic indicators, with the sex ratio at birth and the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) both improving, officials report. The three‑year average sex ratio at birth in the state was 946 females per 1,000 males for 2022–24, with rural areas at 943 and urban areas higher at 971.
Assam’s sex ratio at birth outperformed the national average of 918 for the same period (914 in rural areas and 928 in urban areas). Among states, Chhattisgarh (978) and Kerala (974) recorded the highest ratios, while Uttarakhand reported the lowest at 872. Compared with the previous three‑year period (2021–23), Assam’s ratio rose from 938 overall (936 rural, 961 urban), indicating steady improvement across both settings.
Fertility measures also show a sustained decline. Assam’s TFR fell to 1.9 in 2024 from 2.2 in 2018. The TFR-an estimate of the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime-dropped in rural areas from 2.4 to 2.1 and in urban areas from 1.6 to 1.3 over the same span.
At the national level, India’s TFR stands at 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1. Several states and union territories have also slipped below replacement, including Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, among others.
Assam’s year‑by‑year TFR trend shows 2.2 in 2018 and 2019, 2.1 in 2020–22, 2.0 in 2023 and 1.9 in 2024. Overall, the state has experienced a 13% decline in TFR since 2012–14, with a sharper fall in rural areas (16%) than in urban areas (6.7%).
Significant regional and social differences persist. In 2024, rural women in Assam had a TFR of 2.1 versus 1.3 for urban women. Nationally, Bihar recorded the highest TFR at 2.9 and Delhi the lowest at 1.2. Fertility also varies by education: the dataset classifies illiterate women with a TFR of 2.8, while another classification labeled “no formal education” shows 1.2; women educated up to Class 10 recorded a TFR of 1.5.
Other indicators include a Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) of 1.0 in 2024, slightly above the national average of 0.9. Institutional deliveries are high, with 85.7% of births taking place in government hospitals (87.3% in rural areas and 73.2% in urban areas); private hospitals accounted for 8.7% of deliveries. The crude birth rate was 19.6 in Assam versus the national 18.3, the general fertility rate was 65.5 overall (69.6 rural, 43.6 urban), and the mean age of fertility was 28.8 years.
Taken together, the figures point to a steady demographic transition in Assam: improved sex balance at birth and falling fertility rates alongside persistent rural–urban and educational disparities, trends that have implications for future population growth and maternal and child health planning.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam-records-improvement-in-sex-ratio-at-birth-tfr-declines-below-replacement-level.html
Category: Assam,Northeast News
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Publish Date: 2026-05-25 15:05:00
