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NEW DELHI: Nearly two-thirds of all live births in India – 66.4% – were first-born children, while the fourth child and births thereafter dwindled to barely 3.5%, shows the 2024 Sample Registration System Statistical Report. On birth spacing, a critical factor for maternal health and child development, the data shows that 53.5% of second or later births occurred 36 months or later after the previous birth.As per the 2024 data, nearly 23% births were second-order births, a term used to refer to second child, and 7.3% were third-order births.In terms of urban and rural trends, data shows that 65.4% live births were first-order births in rural India and this percentage was 69% for urban areas. Among bigger states and Union territories, Telangana has the highest percentage of first-order births at 82.7%, while Kerala had the lowest at 47.9%. Interestingly, Kerala had the highest percentage of second-order and third-order births at 34.9% and 13.3%.While Kerala had the highest percentage of second-order and third-order births, Telangana had the lowest at 13.4% and 2.9%, respectively, shows the 2024 Sample Registration System Statistical Report. Madhya Pradesh has the highest percentage of fourth- or higher-order births at 6.5%, while Andhra Pradesh stood at the bottom at 0.5%.Data on birth order and the interval between successive live births have been collected under the Sample Registration System (SRS) since 1990.Birth order – the chronological sequence of a child’s birth within a family – and birth interval are key indicators of child spacing and fertility levels.
