Fertility vs child mortality in India
India: Fertility vs child mortality was 1.98 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.98
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
117th
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.98
in 1964
All-time low
1.98
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility vs child mortality in India, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
India recorded 1.98 for fertility vs child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs child mortality in India peaked at 5.98 in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.98, in 2023.
India ranks 117th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility vs child mortality in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.73 | — |
| 1951 | 5.77 | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 5.82 | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 5.87 | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 5.91 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.91 | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 5.91 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 5.91 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5.9 | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 5.89 | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 5.92 | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 5.94 | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 5.95 | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 5.97 | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.98 | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.94 | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 5.88 | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 5.83 | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 5.76 | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 5.68 | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 5.62 | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 5.57 | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 5.48 | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 5.4 | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 5.33 | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 5.2 | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 5.13 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 5.01 | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 4.89 | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 4.81 | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 4.78 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 4.7 | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 4.62 | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 4.57 | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 4.52 | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 4.43 | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 4.4 | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 4.31 | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 4.22 | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 4.13 | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 4.04 | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 3.96 | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 3.88 | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 3.8 | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 3.72 | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 3.65 | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 3.58 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 3.51 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.45 | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 3.38 | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 3.35 | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 3.3 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.22 | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 3.12 | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 3.05 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.96 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.87 | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 2.77 | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.71 | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 2.67 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 2.6 | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 2.53 | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.47 | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 2.4 | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 2.29 | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 2.29 | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.28 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 2.19 | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 2.18 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.12 | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 2.05 | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 2.01 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 1.99 | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.98 | -1.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.98 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15, 63% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 1.98 is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.97, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.86 | 5.73 | 5.91 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.88 | 5.68 | 5.98 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.24 | 4.81 | 5.62 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.47 | 4.13 | 4.78 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7 | 3.38 | 4.04 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 | 2.67 | 3.35 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.34 | 2.12 | 2.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.01 | 1.98 | 2.05 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 44,822 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility vs child mortality in India?
- Fertility vs child mortality in India was 1.98 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs child mortality recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility vs child mortality recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.98 in 2023.
- How does India rank for fertility vs child mortality?
- India ranks 117th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility vs child mortality rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).