India, May 22 -- A death rate still higher than pre-pandemic levels and a total fertility rate below the replacement level for the fifth straight year were some of the highlights of the Sample Registration System (SRS) reports for 2024, released Thursday by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI) that works under the ministry of home affairs. SRS reports are based on a sample survey and are considered the most reliable annual estimates of vital statistics.

The 2024 SRS report shows that India's crude birth rate -the number of births per thousand population- was 18.3 in 2024, down from 18.4 in 2023. The number declined from 14.9 to 14.7 in urban areas and from 20.3 to 20.2 in rural areas. There was also a marginal improvement ...