Delhi has registered an improvement in its sex ratio at birth – from 920 females per thousand males in 2019 to 933 in 2020. Meanwhile, the infant mortality rate has dropped from 24.19 to 20.37 between 2019 and 2020.
The data is part of the annual report on registration of births and deaths in Delhi 2020.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said in a statement that the increase in sex ratio is a result of social awareness and it is a matter of great pride that the society is getting educated and understands the importance of girls.
According to the report, the sex ratio was at a low of 822 in 2005. After that it increased to 1,004 in 2008 – the highest since then. However, the following years saw a decline and the ratio fell to 886 in 2012. It has improved since then.
“In Delhi, public awareness efforts have also had a beneficial effect. The birth rate fell from 18.35 per thousand in 2019 to 14.85 per thousand in 2020. In 2020, 3,01,645 births were registered as compared to 3,65,868 in 2019,” the statement said.
“The reduction in infant mortality is the result of major changes in health infrastructure and better access to health facilities for all citizens,” Sisodia said.
There has also been a slight decrease in the maternal mortality rate in Delhi. It was 0.55 per 1,000 births in 2019 which fell to 0.54 per 1,000 births in 2020.
The report said that the death rate decreased from 7.29 per thousand in 2019 to 7.03 per thousand in 2020.
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