Guwahati : Assam has recorded significant improvement in its sex ratio at birth, with the state registering 946 female births per 1,000 male births during 2022-24, surpassing the national average of 918, according to recently released Central government data.

The figures show that the sex ratio at birth in Assam stood at 943 in rural areas and 971 in urban areas during the three-year period. The state had earlier recorded a sex ratio at birth of 938 during 2021-23, including 936 in rural areas and 961 in urban regions, indicating a steady improvement across both rural and urban Assam.

Among states, Chhattisgarh recorded the highest sex ratio at birth at 978 females per 1,000 males, followed by Kerala at 974, while Uttarakhand registered the lowest ratio at 872. The report also highlighted progress in fertility indicators in Assam. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the state declined to 1.9 in 2024 from 2.2 in 2018, matching the national average.

The TFR in rural Assam stood at 2.1 in 2024, while urban Assam recorded a significantly lower figure of 1.3. Data showed that Assam’s TFR had remained at 2.2 in 2018 and 2019 before declining to 2.1 in 2020. It remained unchanged for the next two years before dropping to 2.0 in 2023 and further to 1.9 in 2024.

In rural Assam, the TFR declined from 2.4 in 2018 to 2.1 in 2024, while urban TFR decreased from 1.6 to 1.3 during the same period. At the national level, Bihar recorded the highest TFR at 2.9, while Delhi reported the lowest at 1.2.

The report noted that India’s overall TFR has now fallen below the replacement level of 2.1, with several states and Union Territories also recording fertility rates below replacement level, including Assam. The Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) in Assam was recorded at 1 in 2024, while the national average stood at 0.9.