Published Jul 07, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 07, 2026 | 7:00 AM
India's registered births increased from 2.31 crore in 2015 to 2.48 crore in 2019.
Synopsis: The latest Civil Registration System report shows birth registrations declining over the past decade in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, even as they increased nationally, with Telangana emerging as the only southern state to record a net increase.
Birth registrations have moved in the opposite direction in much of South India compared with the rest of the country over the past decade, with four of the region’s five major states recording sustained declines even as registrations rose nationally.
The latest Report on Vital Statistics of India based on the Civil Registration System (CRS), 2024, released by the Registrar General of India, shows Kerala recording the steepest fall among the southern states. Registered births in the state declined by 33.2 percent between 2015 and 2024.
Tamil Nadu followed with a 27.3 percent decline, Andhra Pradesh with 20.1 percent, and Karnataka with 5.8 percent. Telangana was the only exception, recording a 25.8 percent increase over the same period. Nationally, registered births rose from 2.31 crore in 2015 to 2.55 crore in 2024, an increase of 10.1 percent.
Telangana was the only southern state to register more births in 2024 than in 2015, with registrations increasing from 6,12,489 to 7,70,616, an increase of 1,58,127 births.
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Kerala’s registered births declined from 5,16,013 in 2015 to 3,44,766 in 2024, a reduction of 1,71,247 births over the decade. Tamil Nadu recorded the largest absolute decline, with registrations falling from 11,67,506 to 8,48,294, a drop of 3,19,212 births. Andhra Pradesh also recorded a decline, from 8,51,499 to 6,80,002, while Karnataka’s registrations fell more gradually, from 10,53,248 to 9,91,879.
The decade-long comparison, however, masks distinct year-to-year patterns across the region.
Kerala recorded a steady decline almost throughout the period. Registrations remained above five lakh until 2017 before slipping below that mark in 2018. They fell to 4.80 lakh in 2019, declined further during the pandemic years, recovered briefly to 4.40 lakh in 2022, and then dropped again to 3.93 lakh in 2023 and 3.45 lakh in 2024. The overall direction remained consistently downward.
Tamil Nadu followed a similar trajectory. Registered births declined continuously from 11.68 lakh in 2015 to 9.15 lakh in 2018. A modest recovery followed in 2019 and 2020, when registrations remained around 9.4 lakh, before another gradual decline brought the total below nine lakh in 2023 and to 8.48 lakh in 2024.
Karnataka’s trend was comparatively stable. Registrations fluctuated around 10 lakh for most of the decade, declining during 2020 and 2021 before recovering in 2022 and easing again over the following two years. Among the five southern states, Karnataka experienced the smallest proportional decline.
Andhra Pradesh displayed greater fluctuations. Registrations declined from 2015 to 2020, recovered modestly in 2021, increased further in 2022 and 2023, before falling sharply to 6.80 lakh in 2024, the lowest level recorded during the decade.
Telangana’s trajectory differed from every other southern state. After rising from 6.12 lakh in 2015 to a peak of 8.41 lakh in 2019, registrations declined during 2020 and 2021, recovered in 2022, dipped again in 2023, and climbed to 7.71 lakh in 2024. Despite considerable year-to-year fluctuations, Telangana remained the only southern state to record a net increase over the decade.
India’s registered births increased from 2.31 crore in 2015 to 2.48 crore in 2019. Registrations declined during 2020 and 2021, recovered to 2.54 crore in 2022, remained broadly stable in 2023, and edged up to 2.55 crore in 2024.
Unlike the southern states, India as a whole did not record a decade-long decline in birth registrations. The latest report therefore points to a distinct regional pattern rather than a nationwide one.
The CRS report also measures the completeness of birth registration, that is, the proportion of births registered each year.
Telangana reported 100 percent birth registration in both 2023 and 2024. Karnataka improved from 92.3 percent registration in 2019 to 97.5 percent in 2024, while Tamil Nadu’s registration coverage increased from 84.4 percent to 94.8 percent over the same period. Andhra Pradesh reported 89 percent registration coverage in 2024.
Kerala differed from the other southern states. Registration completeness declined from 98.2 percent in 2019 to 89.2 percent in 2023 and further to 86.4 percent in 2024. As a result, the state’s decline in registered births should be interpreted alongside the fall in registration coverage. The report, however, does not estimate how much of the decline reflects lower registration coverage and how much reflects changes in the number of births themselves.
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The decline in registered births does not correspond with changes in the sex ratio at birth.
India’s sex ratio at birth stood at 933 females per 1,000 males in 2024.
Among the southern states, Kerala recorded the highest ratio at 970, followed by Karnataka at 946, Tamil Nadu at 938, Andhra Pradesh at 929, and Telangana at 910.
Over the years, Kerala consistently maintained a sex ratio above 960 despite recording the sharpest decline in registered births. Karnataka’s ratio remained remarkably stable, fluctuating only within a narrow range throughout the period. Tamil Nadu’s sex ratio also remained close to the national average.
Telangana, however, followed a contrasting trend. While its registered births increased over the decade, its sex ratio declined from 915 in 2017 to 910 in 2024 after falling to a low of 906 in 2022. Andhra Pradesh also recorded a gradual decline, from 935 in 2017 to 929 in 2024. The report therefore suggests that trends in registered births and the sex ratio at birth do not necessarily move together.
The report also reveals significant variation in how quickly births are registered.
Karnataka reported 6,98,498 births registered within the prescribed time limit in 2024. It also recorded 1,37,371 registrations filed between 30 days and one year after birth, the highest among the southern states in that category.
Andhra Pradesh recorded 1,12,053 registrations filed more than one year after birth, substantially higher than the other southern states.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu reported comparatively few registrations after one year. Kerala recorded 6,063 such registrations, while Tamil Nadu reported 6,754.
Telangana displayed a distinct pattern. While only 11,533 births were registered more than one year after birth, the state recorded 1,70,936 registrations between 21 and 30 days after birth, the highest among the southern states in that category.
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The rural-urban distribution of registered births varied across the southern states, although urban births outnumbered rural births in each of them.
Telangana reported 5,75,753 urban births compared with 1,94,863 rural births. Karnataka recorded 8,40,137 urban births against 1,51,742 rural births, while Tamil Nadu reported 7,12,599 urban births and 1,35,695 rural births.
Kerala registered 2,27,986 urban births and 1,16,780 rural births.
Among the five states, Andhra Pradesh had the largest rural component relative to its urban total, reporting 2,63,375 rural births against 4,16,627 urban births.
