Livelihood Resilience in Fragile Himalayan Ecosystems

Under-5 mortality in India: Declining Trend, Regional Inequalities and SDGs

Rajesh Raushan

The study investigated progress in under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) at national and sub-national level in India. The article also provides evidence of country’s progress towards achieving SDG targets 3.2 related to U5MR achievements and required pace post-2020 to achieve the fixed target by 2030. Using the five consecutive rounds of NFHS data, study estimated U5MR at the national and sub-national levels and calculated economic inequality-adjusted under-five mortality rates (IU5MR). The study further assessed state specific gap in U5MR with respect to country level estimates along with the required annual rate of reduction to achieve SDG 3.2. The findings reveal that despite all the progress made in U5MR reduction till the date, regional and socioeconomic disparities remain a significant concern suggesting need for more localized policy responses to ensure equitable progress in reducing U5MR at sub-national level in the country. The study contributes to deeper insights on high burden of U5MR and suggests ways for future interventions to achieve SDG target with focus on reducing NMR and prioritizing poorest strata across the regions and states with minimizing inequality to achieve equitable health outcomes in India.