Why in news?
In October 2025 the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India released the Vital Statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System 2023 report. The document summarises births and deaths registered across the country during 2023 and reveals trends in registration coverage, sex ratio at birth and natural population growth.
Background
India’s Civil Registration System (CRS) operates under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act 1969, which mandates compulsory registration of births, deaths and still‑births. The CRS ensures individuals have legal identity documents and provides data for public health planning, social programmes and demographic analysis. Over the years, improvements in infrastructure and awareness have raised registration coverage to near universal levels.
Key findings
- Birth registrations: About 2.52 crore births were registered in 2023. Registration coverage exceeded 98 %, with roughly three‑quarters of births occurring in medical institutions. The number of registered births declined slightly compared with 2022, reflecting lower fertility rates and greater family planning adoption.
- Death registrations: Approximately 86.6 lakh deaths were registered, giving a coverage rate of around 92 %. After the spike in mortality during the COVID‑19 pandemic in 2021, death numbers stabilised in 2022 and 2023. Around 70 % of deaths were registered within 21 days of occurrence.
- Sex ratio at birth (SRB): The national SRB stood at about 935 girls per 1,000 boys. States such as Arunachal Pradesh (1,085) and Chhattisgarh (1,013) reported high SRBs, while Jharkhand (899) and Gujarat (910) recorded the lowest, highlighting persistent gender bias in some regions.
- Timeliness of registration: Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Goa and Punjab were among the states with more than 90 % of births registered within three weeks. States such as Assam, Delhi and Bihar achieved between 50 % and 80 % timely registration, indicating scope for improvement.
- Implications: A decline in births alongside stable mortality slows natural population growth, impacting workforce size and policy planning. High registration coverage enables targeted immunisation, maternal health and social welfare schemes. Persistent gaps in the sex ratio at birth emphasise the need for continued efforts to combat gender discrimination.
Source: NextIAS