Switch to desktop mode for a better experience.

Institutional births across Indian states during 2019-2021

UID: HW-20240121-IN-03

Download

Meta Data

Source

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21

Last Updated

January 22, 2025

Time Range

2019-21

Periodicity

Annual

Overview

Institutional births refer to deliveries that take place in recognized healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, maternity clinics, or primary health centres, under the supervision of trained healthcare professionals. These facilities provide skilled care, access to advanced medical equipment, and the ability to handle complications that may arise during childbirth, thereby reducing the risks for both mother and baby. Promoting institutional births is considered as one of the key strategies for improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes. It ensures that pregnant women receive proper antenatal care, hygienic conditions for delivery, and immediate medical attention if required. Institutional deliveries also help in the early initiation of breastfeeding, immunization, and addressing postpartum complications.

Trends & Insights

As per the NFHS-5 report, Indian women reported 88.6% of the total births that took place in the last five years were institutional. This achievement reflects years of concentrated efforts to improve maternal healthcare access and awareness. Kerala (99.8%) reported the highest proportion of institutional births in the country, closely followed by Goa (99.7%) and Tamil Nadu (99.6%). These states have demonstrated how sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure and public awareness can yield outstanding results. Overall, the southern states consistently recorded a high percentage of institutional deliveries, with Karnataka and Telangana both achieving 97% and Andhra Pradesh recording 96.5%. This success can be attributed to their robust healthcare systems and effective implementation of maternal health programs. The western states also performed admirably. The percentage of institutional births in Maharashtra and Gujarat both exceeded 94%, indicating strong healthcare delivery mechanisms in these economically advanced regions. However, Northeastern states showed varying performance levels. While Sikkim achieved an impressive 94.7% of institutional births, Nagaland recorded the lowest percentage of institutional delivery in the country with 45.7%. These statistics highlight the unique challenges faced in implementing healthcare programs in geographically challenging terrains and culturally diverse regions. While the larger northern states like Rajasthan and Haryana excelled with 94.9% of institutional deliveries each, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand reported lower figures at 83.4% and 83.2%, respectively. Bihar’s (76.2%) and Jharkhand’s (75.8%) comparatively low institutional deliveries indicate that significant work remains to be done in these populous states to achieve universal institutional delivery coverage. The Union Territories have shown particularly strong performance. Lakshadweep and Puducherry both achieved 99.6% of institutional births, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded 98.9%. These high percentages demonstrate the effectiveness of focused healthcare delivery in smaller administrative regions. Even Delhi, despite its large and diverse population, reported 91.8% of deliveries carried out in hospitals or clinics relative to the total births during this timeframe.  The urban-rural divide has become less pronounced in many states, suggesting that awareness about the importance of institutional births has penetrated deep into rural areas as well. This transformation has been particularly noteworthy in states like Odisha, which achieved 92.2% institutional births despite having significant rural populations. The improvement in institutional birth rates has contributed significantly to reducing maternal and infant mortality rates across the country, though continued efforts are needed to achieve universal coverage.

T&Cs for reusing this data 

All data, visualizations, and code generated by 360 Analytika are fully open access. You are free to use, distribute, and reproduce these materials in any medium, provided proper credit is given to the source and authors. We kindly request that you include a backlink to our website/article, when using these materials.

Citation

Please cite this article using proper attribution to 360 Analytika when referencing or sharing our content.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21. (2025). The fulfillment of family planning needs using modern methods among married women aged 15-49 years from 2019-2021 (360 Analytika, Ed.) [Dataset]. https://360analytika.com/the-fulfillment-of-family-planning-needs-using-modern-methods-among-married-women-aged-15-49-years/

Other Data Explorers