Chhattisgarh’s total fertility rate (TFR) or the average number of children a woman gives birth in her lifetime has come down from 2.2 to 1.8, an important factor in population stability, states the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) (NFHS-5).

The report states that there has also been an increase in the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate, which has increased from 57 percent (2015-16) to 67 percent now.

But there is drop in sex ratio of the total population (females per 1,000 males), with average 1,015 as compared to 1,019 of NHFS-4.

The average total females per 1,000 males born in the state is 960, compared to 977 in the last survey. The drop is higher in urban areas (933) as compared to rural (967).

The state has also performed better in terms of marriage of girls below the age of 18 years. In NFHS-5, the rate is 12 percent as compared to NFHS-4 rate of 21 percent, a decrease of 9 percent.

There was also a decrease in the neonatal and infant mortality rate.

The neonatal mortality rate (1-28 days old infants) has come down from 42 to 32 for 1,000 live births while the infant mortality rate (infants from 1 month to one year) has fallen from 54 to 44 per 1,000 live births.

The mortality rate of infants below 5 years has slid from 64 to 50, a decrease of 14 points.

Apart from it, institutional deliveries in the state have reached 80 percent. It was 70 percent in NFHS-4. Similarly, complete immunization has increased from 76 percent to 79 percent in children.

The NFHS-5 data indicates that children under 5 years of age in urban areas are more likely to be obese or overweight than those in rural areas. The percentage of obese children is 5.7 percent in urban and 3.6 percent in rural areas.