Rise in Birth and Death Registration in India

According to the latest official data, India recorded more than 99% of its estimated births and deaths in 2024. While this reflects major progress in civil registration, concerns remain regarding regional disparities, delayed registration, infant-death reporting and the quality of mortality data.

What is the Civil Registration System?
The Civil Registration System (CRS) is a continuous and compulsory system for recording births, deaths and stillbirths. It operates under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, amended in 2023.
Births and deaths are generally required to be reported within 21 days. Hospitals report institutional events, while the head of the household or another authorised person reports events occurring at home.

Key Findings
●    Birth registration increased from 56% in 2000 to 99.1% in 2024.
●    Death registration increased from 48% in 2000 to 99.4% in 2024.
●    In 2024, 18 States and Union Territories achieved 100% birth registration.
●    21 States and Union Territories achieved 100% death registration.
 

Why Does the Data Matter?
A complete CRS provides reliable information on fertility, mortality and population change. It helps governments formulate health and social policies, identify disease outbreaks and study deaths caused by heat, pollution or other seasonal factors.
Birth and death certificates are also required for education, Aadhaar, voter registration, pensions, insurance, inheritance, property transfer and bank-related processes.

Reasons for the Improvement
●    Increase in institutional deliveries and hospital-based reporting.
●    Expansion of welfare schemes and health insurance programmes such as PM-JAY.
●    Greater demand for birth and death certificates to access public services.
●    Digitisation of civil-registration processes.
●    Stronger legal provisions under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023.

What Gaps Remain?
●    Significant regional differences continue across States.
●    Many events are not registered within the prescribed 21-day period.
●    Infant deaths may be under-registered, particularly in rural areas.
●    Registration of death does not necessarily include a medically certified cause of death.
●    The Sample Registration System may undercount births and deaths, potentially overstating CRS coverage.
●    The system does not adequately record internal migration.
India must now focus not only on universal registration but also on improving the accuracy, timeliness and medical certification of records. Better digital infrastructure, rural awareness, trained registration officials and responsible protection of personal data are essential.