In 2023, the infant mortality rate in India was at about 24.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, a significant decrease from previous years. Infant mortality as an indicatorThe infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. This rate is an important key indicator for a country’s health and standard of living; a low infant mortality rate indicates a high standard of healthcare. Causes of infant mortality include premature birth, sepsis or meningitis, sudden infant death syndrome, and pneumonia. Globally, the infant mortality rate has shrunk from 63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 27 since 1990 and is forecast to drop to 8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2100. India’s rural problemWith 32 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, India is neither among the countries with the highest nor among those with the lowest infant mortality rate. Its decrease indicates an increase in medical care and hygiene, as well as a decrease in female infanticide. Increasing life expectancy at birth is another indicator that shows that the living conditions of the Indian population are improving. Still, India’s inhabitants predominantly live in rural areas, where standards of living as well as access to medical care and hygiene are traditionally lower and more complicated than in cities. Public health programs are thus put in place by the government to ensure further improvement.

India infant mortality rate for 2025 is 24.98, a 3.18% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>India infant mortality rate for 2024 was <strong>25.80</strong>, a <strong>3.08% decline</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>India infant mortality rate for 2023 was <strong>26.62</strong>, a <strong>3.89% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>India infant mortality rate for 2022 was <strong>27.70</strong>, a <strong>3.74% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

UNICEF's country profile for India, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

The infant mortality rate in India, for children under the age of one year old, was over 204 deaths per thousand births in 1915. This means that for all babies born in 1915,more than one fifth did not survive past their first birthday. This rate fluctuated over the next four decades, but since the mid-1900s, India's infant mortality rate has fallen from 181 to 32 deaths per thousand births in 2020, meaning that over three percent of all babies born today do not make it to their first birthday.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for India (SPDYNIMRTININD) from 1960 to 2023 about mortality, infant, India, and rate.

The child mortality rate in India, for children under the age of five, was 509 deaths per thousand births in 1880. This means that over half of all children born in 1880 did not survive past the age of five, and it remained this way until the twentieth century. From 1900 until today, the child mortality rate has fallen from over 53 percent in 1900, to under four percent in 2020. Since 1900, there were only two times where the child mortality rate increased in India, which were as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic in the 1910s, and in the 1950s as India adjusted to its newfound independence.

In 2020, India recorded a neonatal mortality rate of 20 deaths per thousand live births. This was a decreasing figure compared to 2015. However, the figures were still high, indicating a need for improvement in the state of healthcare for women and newborns in the country. A neonatal death is defined as the death that occurs in the first 28 days of life.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in India was reported at 24.2 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Forecast: Child Mortality Rate in India 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

India: Infant deaths per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 26 deaths per 1000 live births, a decline from 27 deaths per 1000 live births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 19 deaths per 1000 live births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1967 to 2022 is 80 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 26 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 143 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1967.

Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data was reported at 19.000 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20.000 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data is updated yearly, averaging 33.000 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.000 NA in 1998 and a record low of 19.000 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH005: Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: by States.

Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Kerala data was reported at 6.000 NA in 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.000 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Kerala data is updated yearly, averaging 12.000 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.000 NA in 1998 and a record low of 6.000 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Kerala data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH005: Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: by States.

India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data was reported at 16.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data is updated yearly, averaging 16.000 NA from Dec 2020 (Median) to 2020, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.000 NA in 2020 and a record low of 16.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: Ladakh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH005: Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: by States.

India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 28.000 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.000 NA for 2019. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 73.000 NA from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2020, with 50 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 140.000 NA in 1975 and a record low of 28.000 NA in 2020. India Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.GAH001: Vital Statistics.

Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) in India was reported at 17.3 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate; neonatal (per 1;000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Forecast: Female Infant Mortality Rate in India 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Under-5 mortality rate of India slipped by 4.81% from 29.1 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 27.7 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 5.58% drop in 2013, under-5 mortality rate sank by 43.58% in 2023. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates.

In 2020, the state of Madhya Pradesh, with 47 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, recorded the highest rural infant mortality rate in India. Other regions with high mortality rates included Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. On the contrary, Delhi recorded the lowest figures for the category during the same period.

This layer shows State wise Birth rate, Death rate & Infant Mortality rate (2009 & 2019)Source of data: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/economicsurvey/doc/stat/tab82.pdfNote: Andhra Pradesh includes Telangana for the year 2009 and Jammu & Kashmir includes Ladakh for the year 2019, Birth rate & death rate per 1000 population and IMR is infant deaths per 1000 live births.This web layer is offered by Esri India, for ArcGIS Online subscribers. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know via content@esri.in.

Forecast: Neonatal Mortality Rate in India 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!