NFHS survey suggests higher ratio of women than men in India

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• Nov 25, 2021 | moderator

New Delhi: The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) represented India's demographic shift indications. NFHS released its fifth edition of the family health survey.

For the first time in India, a survey confirms having more women's ratio than men. The survey counted having 1,020 women for 1,000 men this year.

In the fourth edition, the survey recorded 991 women for every 1,000 men in 2015-2016.

"The improved sex ratio and sex ratio at birth is also a notable accomplishment. Even though the real figure will appear from the census, we can say for now looking at the results that our measures for women empowerment have steered us in the right direction," stated Vikas Sheel, additional secretary, Union ministry of health and family welfare, National Health Mission.

NFHS is a sample study. Whether these figures refer to the larger population can only be said with assurance when the next national census is conducted. 

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The sex ratio at birth for children born in the last five years notably improved from 919 per 1,000 males in 2015-16 to 929 per 1,000, marking that boys, on average, advanced to have greater chances of survival than girls.

According to the Census of India website data, the average life expectancy at birth for men and women was 66.4 years and 69.6 years, respectively, in 2010-14.

The total fertility rate (TFR), or the average number of children per woman in India, is now just 2. This rate is below the internationally affirmed replacement level fertility rate.

The government is yet to issue the complete database of NFHS-5. The NFHS-5 survey work has been conducted in around 6.1 lakh sample households from 707 districts (as of March 2017) of the nation, including 724,115 women and 101,839 men, to present dis-aggregated measures at the district level.