Assam Sees Improvement in Sex Ratio and Fertility Rates

Positive Trends in Assam's Demographics

GUWAHATI, May 25: Assam has made notable strides in enhancing its sex ratio at birth, alongside a reduction in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in recent years.

According to newly released data from the central government, the sex ratio at birth in Assam averaged 946 females per 1,000 males for the period 2022-2024. This figure includes 943 in rural areas and 971 in urban settings.

This statistic surpasses the national average of 918, which is broken down into 914 in rural and 928 in urban regions during the same timeframe.

Chhattisgarh and Kerala reported the highest sex ratios at birth, with 978 and 974 females per 1,000 males, respectively, while Uttarakhand recorded the lowest at 872.

Comparing with previous years, Assam's sex ratio at birth was 938 from 2021-2023, with rural areas at 936 and urban areas at 961.

Both rural and urban regions have seen an increase in the sex ratio at birth.

In 2024, the Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) for Assam was recorded at 1, indicating the average number of female children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years, based on the Age-Specific Fertility Rates for that year, assuming no mortality.

The estimated GRR for India in 2024 is 0.9, suggesting that, on average, each woman in the country has one daughter who survives to reproductive age.

A significant majority of deliveries in Assam occur in institutional settings, encompassing both government and private hospitals.

In 2024, 85.7% of all deliveries took place in government hospitals, with rural areas accounting for 87.3% and urban areas 73.2%.

Private hospitals handled 8.7% of deliveries, with rural areas at 6.6% and urban areas at 25.7%.

The average age of fertility in Assam is 28.8 years.

The General Fertility Rate (GFR) stands at 65.5 overall, with rural areas at 69.6 and urban areas at 43.6.

Assam's Crude Birth Rate was noted at 19.6, compared to the national average of 18.3.

Additionally, the TFR for Assam was recorded at 1.9 in 2024, down from 2.2 in 2018.

In rural Assam, the TFR was 2.1, while urban areas saw a lower rate of 1.3.

Previously, Assam's TFR was 2.2 in 2018 and 2019, decreased to 2.1 in 2020, and further declined to 2 in 2023, finally reaching 1.9 in 2024. Rural TFR dropped from 2.4 in 2018 to 2.1 in 2024, while urban TFR fell from 1.6 to 1.3.

The national TFR for 2024 is 1.9, with rural women averaging a TFR of 2.1, compared to urban women's 1.5.

Bihar reported the highest TFR at 2.9, while Delhi had the lowest at 1.2. Notably, the national TFR has dipped below the replacement level of 2.1.

Several states and Union Territories have also recorded TFRs below the replacement level, including Delhi (1.2), Kerala (1.3), and others.

The TFR reflects the cumulative value of Age-Specific Fertility Rates at the end of childbearing age, indicating the average number of children a woman is expected to have throughout her reproductive life, assuming current Age-Specific Fertility Rates remain constant and there is no mortality.

In 2012-2014, Assam's average TFR was 2.3, which decreased to 2 in 2022-2024, marking a 13% overall decline, with rural areas seeing a 16% drop and urban areas a 6.7% reduction.

The TFR also varies based on women's education levels. In 2024, illiterate women in Assam had a TFR of 2.8, while those without formal education had a TFR of 1.2. The rates for women with varying education levels are as follows: below primary education (2.3), primary education (2.4), middle-level schooling (1.9), education till Class-10 (1.5), Class-12 (1.8), and graduates and above (1.7).