Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024 Released

The Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024 has been released by the Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI), functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The report is one of the world’s largest demographic surveys and provides annual estimates of India’s vital statistics, including fertility, mortality and demographic indicators.

Fertility Trends

India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remained unchanged at 1.9 in 2024, staying below the replacement level fertility for the fifth consecutive year. Replacement level fertility refers to the level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next and is generally considered to be 2.1 births per woman.
The report showed that the TFR remained 2.1 in rural areas and 1.5 in urban areas. Urban India has remained below replacement level fertility continuously since 2005.
India’s Crude Birth Rate (CBR), which measures the number of births per thousand population, declined marginally from 18.4 in 2023 to 18.3 in 2024. In rural areas, the birth rate declined from 20.3 to 20.2, while in urban areas it fell from 14.9 to 14.7.

India’s Crude Death Rate (CDR) remained unchanged at 6.4 deaths per thousand population in 2024. However, the overall death rate continues to remain above pre-pandemic levels. The CDR stood at 6.0 in 2019 and 2020, but increased sharply to 7.5 in 2021, the deadliest year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In rural areas, the CDR remained unchanged at 6.8, while in urban areas it declined slightly from 5.7 in 2023 to 5.6 in 2024.
The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined from 25 in 2023 to 24 in 2024, registering a decline of six points over the last five years. Kerala recorded the lowest IMR in the country at 8 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The IMR refers to the probability of a child dying before completing one year of age and is expressed as deaths per 1,000 live births.
Similarly, the Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) stood at 28 per 1,000 live births in 2024. It indicates the probability of a child dying before reaching five years of age.

The report recorded a marginal improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB). During 2022–2024, the SRB increased to 918 females per 1,000 males, compared with the previous three-year period.

The proportion of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents increased from 2.9% to 3.2%, while deaths due to suicide rose from 2.5% to 2.8%.
The report also highlighted a growing burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), whose share in total deaths increased from 56.7% to 60.1%. Among these, cardiovascular diseases remained the leading cause of death, with their share increasing from 31% to 32.1%.
Although deaths due to respiratory infections declined to 5.7% during 2022–24, the level still remains above pre-pandemic levels. The share was 3.6% during 2017–19.

The SRS Statistical Report 2024 reflects India’s ongoing demographic transition, marked by declining fertility levels and slowing population growth.
At the same time, the persistence of higher death rates compared to pre-pandemic levels and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, road accidents and suicides indicate emerging public health challenges for the country.