- Maharashtra’s sex ratio at birth was 899 girls per 1,000 boys in 2022-24, below national average
- Rural sex ratio improved to 910, but urban ratio dropped to 885, contrary to national trends
- Maharashtra ranks among bottom five states for sex ratio, along with Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand
Putting the state in the same league as Haryana, Maharashtra recorded a sex ratio well below the national average of 918 girls per 1,000 boys during the 2022-24 period, per the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report.
At 899 girls per 1,000 boys, Maharashtra's sex ratio indicated a gender imbalance at birth continues to be a concern despite Maharashtra's relatively high levels of urbanisation and economic development. The figure was an improvement over 876 girls per 1,000 boys in 2018-20.
A notable rural-urban divide makes the numbers further worrying, with rural areas recording a sex ratio at birth of 910 girls per 1,000 boys, with the figure for urban areas at 885. While the number improved from 888 in rural areas, it fell from 908 in urban areas. Nationally, the trend is the opposite - while urban areas have on average reported a sex ratio of 928 girls for 1,000 boys, the figure for rural areas is 914. This suggests that urbanisation alone has not translated into better gender outcomes in the state and raises questions about persistent son preference and the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing sex-selective practices.
Maharashtra has already achieved a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 1.4 children per woman, well below the national average of 1.9. In the same year, Bihar recorded the highest TFR at 2.9, while Delhi had the lowest at 1.2. Notably, the National TFR has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1. This assumes significance as a skewed sex ratio at birth despite lower fertility rates makes the societal preference for male children a highly probable factor.
The numbers come months after Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar had said the state's sex ratio had improved from 907 females per 1,000 males in 2023 to 912 in 2024, while asserting the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act. He said existing rules will be tightened.
Among the highest performers as far as major states and union territories are concerned were Chhattisgarh at 967, Kerala at 974 and Himachal Pradesh at 956. Maharashtra stood in the bottom five of these rankings, standing not too far ahead of Bihar (896), Haryana (885), Delhi (876), and Uttarakhand (872). The urban figure is particularly striking as it is comparable to some of the states that have historically reported among the country's most skewed sex ratios at birth.
Maharashtra's performance on the mean age of marriage of females further confounds the puzzle. While the mean age of marriage is at a national average of 23.1 years, the figure for Maharashtra is 23.4 years. Only one per cent of women get married before the age of 18 years, while the national average for the same stands at 2.1 per cent.
The latest figures are likely to renew discussions around the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing sex-selective practices and promoting gender equality.
