How many babies die before their first birthday, state by state, 2004–2024
In 2004, 58 of every 1,000 babies born in India died before turning one. In 2024 it was 24. Today's worst state is at 36, a level only three states had reached in 2004.
The infant mortality rate counts how many babies out of every 1,000 born alive die before their first birthday. India measures it every year through the Sample Registration System, a continuous survey of births and deaths in a fixed set of villages and urban blocks run by the Registrar General.
In 2004 the national rate was 58. In Madhya Pradesh it was 79, so about one baby in 13 died in its first year. Odisha (77) and Uttar Pradesh (72) were close behind. By 2024 India was down to 24, and every bigger state had fallen. Tamil Nadu fell the furthest in relative terms, from 41 to 11 (−73%). Odisha went from 77 to 28.
The dotted line marks the worst state in 2024: Chhattisgarh, at 36, just above Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (35 each). In 2004 only Kerala, Delhi and Maharashtra were that low. Apart from Kerala, which started far lower, Chhattisgarh has fallen most slowly: by 40% since 2004. It was stuck at 38–41 from 2017 to 2022.
Switch to Rural and the gap is plain: rural India is at 27 and urban India at 17. Switch to Rank to see who overtook whom. Kerala is first in all 21 years. Madhya Pradesh, last in 2004, is no longer last: in 2024 that is Chhattisgarh. Hover over or tap any line to follow one state.