Pregnancy Statistics India

India's maternal mortality ratio was 80 per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to modelled MMEIG estimates published via World Bank Open Data (retrieved July 2026) — down from 129 in 2015. India's own Sample Registration System last publicly reported 97 per 100,000 for 2018–20; the two series measure differently, so the gap is expected.

1.98 births per woman in 2023 (UN Population Division estimates via World Bank Open Data), below the replacement level of 2.1. India has been below replacement level since roughly 2020, consistent with NFHS-5's findings.

85.1% of pregnant women had at least one antenatal care visit in 2021 (up from 79.3% in 2016). The stricter indicator — four or more visits — is widely reported at around 58% from NFHS-5, though that figure is pending verification against the primary document in this report.

46.6% of pregnant women were anaemic in 2023 according to WHO Global Health Observatory modelled estimates — nearly half, and only about two percentage points lower than in 2015. NFHS-5's own household-survey figure is commonly cited around 52%. Anaemia screening and iron-folic acid supplementation are standard parts of Indian antenatal care.

Skilled birth attendance means a trained health professional (doctor, nurse or midwife) is present at delivery. In India, 89.4% of births were attended by skilled health staff in 2021, up from 81.4% in 2016.

NFHS-5 (2019–21) is widely reported as showing about 88.6% institutional births, up from about 78.9% in NFHS-4 (2015–16). This report flags that figure as pending verification because we could not re-read the official NFHS-5 document during our July 2026 research pass.

About 21.5% of all deliveries, as widely reported from NFHS-5 (2019–21), up from about 17.2% in NFHS-4 — a figure this report flags as pending verification against the primary document. A C-section can be life-saving when medically indicated; discuss delivery options with your obstetrician.

Exclusive breastfeeding means an infant under 6 months receives only breast milk. India's rate was 58% at the most recent available data point (2018, UNICEF/WHO estimates via World Bank Open Data), up from 54.9% in 2016. No newer national figure was available through this indicator at retrieval.

14.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19 in 2023, down from 18.2 in 2015 — a decline of roughly a quarter in eight years (UN Population Division estimates via World Bank Open Data).

The modelled estimates show a clear spike: India's MMR rose to an estimated 155 per 100,000 live births in 2021 (from 101 in 2020) before falling to 90 in 2022 and 80 in 2023. The 2021 figure is explicitly a COVID-19-affected estimate.

NFHS is India's own large household survey — it asks families directly and reports raw survey results for a specific fieldwork period. WHO/World Bank figures are modelled estimates that smooth multiple data sources into internationally comparable series. They often differ (e.g. anaemia: 46.6% modelled vs ~52% commonly cited from NFHS-5), and neither is simply 'wrong' — they answer slightly different questions.

Figures badged 'Verified', 'Modelled estimate', 'Official source' or 'Public dataset' can be cited with attribution to the underlying source (linked in the references) — please mention the retrieval date. Figures badged 'Pending verification' should be checked against their primary document (linked in the references) before you cite them externally.