The IMRs of top-ranked states such as Kerala and Delhi were compared with those of high-income and upper-middle-income countries such as the US and China.
NS Infant Mortality Rate (IMR, death per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age) Between 2014 and 2019, all the states improved. However, wide variations exist in the pace of decline across states. It is important to note that states with relatively low IMRs find it difficult to make corrections, while states with relatively high IMRs find it easier to do so. Thus, reduction in IMR in terms of absolute value cannot be used to measure the performance of the states.
Therefore, the IMRs of all the states were compared with those of 185 countries and their global ranks were calculated. In 2019, Kerala Performed best with an IMR of 6 and a global ranking of 53 (52 out of 185 countries had a better IMR). Kerala improved 21 places from its 2014 global ranking.
Whereas, in 2019 Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Sudan, similar to Afghanistan and Niger, had relatively poor IMRs – 41 and 46, respectively. In 2019 their global rank fell by one and two places respectively from 2014.
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The table lists the IMRs of major states in 2009, 2014 and 2019 and the state’s rank among 185 countries. For example, in 2019, Haryana’s IMR was 27 and its global rank was 143. It had improved by seven places since 2014 (IMR: 36). It had jumped 19 places from 2009 (IMR: 51). The countries with IMR similar to Haryana in 2019 were Rwanda (ranked 141) and Eritrea (ranked 149).
The ranking includes 185 countries and 21 major Indian states. So, in fact, the calculated rankings are out of 206 regions (in which each Indian state is considered a unit).
State-wise IMR (2009)
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In 2019, Kerala’s IMR was the best among 12 major states in the country and had a global rank of 65. It was the only state to feature in the top-100 among states.
State-wise IMR (2014)
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While the IMR of Kerala in 2014 did not change compared to 2009, it was still the best performing state in the country. However, since its IMR was stable, the rank dropped to 74. Again, it was the only state to feature in the top-100 countries.
State wise IMR (2019)
The IMRs of top-ranked states such as Kerala and Delhi can be compared with those of high-income and upper-middle-income countries such as the US and China. In contrast, UP and MP rates were similar to those in poor-income countries such as Sudan and Afghanistan. Furthermore, the global ranks of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, UP and MP fell in 2019 from 2014, indicating a relatively slow pace of improvement in IMR.
On the other hand, the global ranks of Kerala, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir increased by more than 20 places, indicating a faster pace of reduction in IMR. States like Gujarat, Haryana and Karnataka were in the middle.
Kerala improved the ranking by 21 places despite improving its IMR by only 6 points, while Uttarakhand’s IMR improved by the same number of points and dropped one place in its global ranking. This shows that it is harder to improve from a lower base and vice versa.
Source: SRS Bulletin, World Bank
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