Delhi govt report shows decline in sex ratio, rise in birth rate in 2022

The sex ratio in the national capital fell to 929 in 2022 from 932 a year ago, according to a report published by the Delhi government.

The 'Annual Report on Registration of Births and Deaths in Delhi, 2022' shows that the birth rate in Delhi has increased from 13.13 in 2021 to 14.24 per thousand population in 2022. The death rate has decreased from 8.28 to 6 .07 percent in 2022. in 2021.

It also revealed a significant increase in the average number of births per day in Delhi from 745 in 2021 to 823 in 2022. The sex ratio fell from 932 in 2021 to 929 per thousand males in 2022, the report said.

According to the report, of the total registered births, 1,55,670 (51.83 percent) were male and 1,44,581 (48.14 percent) were female and 99 (0.03 percent) belonged to the 'others' category.

Of the total births, 2,82,389 (94.02 percent) were institutional – of which 1,86,905 (66.19 percent) were in government hospitals – and 17,961 (5.98 percent) were home births.

A majority of births (89.15 percent) took place in urban areas, while rural births accounted for 10.85 percent of the total, the report said.

An analysis of the age group of mothers at the time of delivery showed that 37.52 percent were between 25 and 29 years old, while 30.55 percent were between 20 and 24 years old, the report said. Moreover, in 29.71 percent of cases, the mother's age was more than 29 years.

The report shows that 2.23 percent of women underwent childbirth when they were 19 years old or younger.

In the case of home births, the majority of births (60.62 percent) took place with the assistance of family members and others, while in only 13 percent of cases a doctor, nurse or trained midwife was present.

There were 25.58 percent of births where an untrained midwife was present, the report said.

The report also points to a slight increase in infant and maternal mortality in 2022.

In 2022, the infant mortality rate (per thousand live births) was 23.82, compared to 23.60 in 2021. The maternal mortality rate (per thousand live births) was 0.49 in 2022, up from 0.44 in 2021.

In 2022, 1,28,106 deaths were recorded, compared to 1,71,476 deaths recorded in 2021. The registered deaths included 79,052 (61.71 percent) males and 49,004 (38.25 percent) females and 50 (0.04 percent) deaths in other countries”. category, the report said.

A majority (39 percent) of those who died were aged 65 or older, while 7,155 infants died in the year, the report said. A significant percentage (29.59) of the deaths occurred in the 45-54 age group, it was found.

The leading causes of institutional deaths in 2022 according to ICD 10 (International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision) reflect that 14.85 percent of cases occurred due to septicaemia (blood poisoning due to bacteria), and 11.51 percent due to diseases of the pulmonary circulation and other forms. Of the heart diseases, 7.64 percent were due to shock, 4.43 percent were due to liver diseases, 4.33 percent were due to tuberculosis and 1.59 percent were due to COVID-19, it added.