Higher birth rate drives sharper growth in villages
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 22: J&K recorded a Natural Growth Rate of 9.2 per thousand population in 2024, with rural areas continuing to outpace urban regions, according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin released by the Office of the Registrar General of India.
The bulletin showed that the Natural Growth Rate in rural J&K stood at 10.3 compared to 6.7 in urban areas, highlighting a significant rural-urban gap in population growth across the Union Territory.
Natural Growth Rate, which reflects the difference between Birth Rate and Death Rate, remained lower in J&K than the national average of 11.9. At the national level, rural India recorded a Natural Growth Rate of 13.5 against 9.0 in urban areas.
The higher rural growth rate in J&K was primarily driven by a higher Birth Rate in villages.
Rural areas in the Union Territory recorded a Birth Rate of 15.8 per thousand population compared to 12.1 in urban areas, while the overall Birth Rate stood at 14.6 against the national average of 18.3.
The report estimated J&K’s Birth Rate confidence interval between 13.6 and 15.7 at the total level. Rural Birth Rate estimates ranged between 14.8 and 16.8, while urban estimates ranged from 9.7 to 14.5.
At the same time, the Death Rate in J&K remained almost identical across rural and urban areas at 5.5 and 5.4 respectively, contributing to the sharper growth differential between the two regions.
The UT’s overall Death Rate of 5.5 remained lower than the national average of 6.4.
The Death Rate confidence interval for J&K ranged between 5.0 and 5.9 overall, with rural death rates estimated between 5.0 and 6.0 and urban rates between 4.4 and 6.5.
Gender-wise mortality estimates revealed that J&K recorded a Death Rate of 5.8 among males and 5.2 among females.
Rural male and female death rates stood at 5.8 and 5.2 respectively, while urban areas recorded 5.8 for males and 5.1 for females.
The bulletin also showed that J&K’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) stood at 14 infant deaths per thousand live births, significantly lower than the national average of 24. Rural areas recorded an IMR of 15, while urban areas reported 12.
The report estimated J&K’s IMR confidence interval between 9 and 19 at the overall level. Rural IMR limits ranged from 8 to 21, while urban IMR confidence limits ranged between 1 and 23.
Gender-wise infant mortality data revealed that male infant mortality remained higher than female infant mortality in the Union Territory.
Male IMR stood at 16 compared to 12 among female infants. In rural areas, male IMR was estimated at 16 against 13 for females, while in urban areas it stood at 14 for males and 9 for females.
According to the report, the SRS survey in J&K covered 279 sample units, including 177 rural and 102 urban units. The estimated population covered under the survey was 237,000, comprising 191,000 rural population and 46,000 urban population.
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