Going down

India's infant mortality rate has declined by eight per cent in 2016 according to the latest annual Sample Registration Survey conducted by the Office of the Registrar General, India

Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined by 8 per cent in 2016. According to data from the Sample Registration Survey bulletin, from 37 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015, IMR has decreased to 34 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016. Sachin Jain, a researcher working with Bhopal-based non-profit Vikas Samvad told Down To Earth that India still has a long way to go as far as IMR was concerned. "Child marrriage, early pregnancy, neonatal mortality, bad quality of antenatal care, maternal malnutrition and privatisation of healthcare are the reasons why IMR will remain high in India for quite sometime." The US had an estimated IMR of 5.8 in 2016, while Japan had the lowest, 2.0.