SRS 2024 Flags Rural IMR & Urban Death Rate Concerns in Tripura

Quick Glance

Tripura recorded a sharp decline in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) from 15 in 2023 to 12 in 2024. But IMR in Rural Tripura remains double that of the urban figure despite overall improvement.
Tripura’s Death rate in urban areas (6.2) stayed higher than the national average (5.6) in 2024
The latest Sample Registration System (SRS) report highlights widening healthcare disparities between rural and urban Tripura.

Rural-Urban Divide Emerges in Tripura’s Health Indicators

Agartala: The latest Sample Registration System (SRS) reports for 2023 and 2024 show major improvement in infant mortality indicators in Tripura. However, the data also exposes a widening rural-urban healthcare gap. While urban infant mortality dropped sharply, rural Tripura continues to record IMR levels double that of urban areas – certainly, the Government needs to act without delay. The report also confirms that Tripura maintains a much lower birth rate than the national average. But the higher urban death rate in Tripura needs immediate attention.

Urban Tripura Drives Sharp Improvement in IMR

Tripura’s overall Infant Mortality Rate fell from 15 in 2023 to 12 in 2024. In comparison, India’s IMR declined only marginally from 25 to 24 during the same period.

The most dramatic improvement came from urban Tripura. The urban IMR dropped from 13 in 2023 to just 7 in 2024. This marks one of the sharpest declines recorded by the state in recent years.

Health experts believe improved institutional deliveries, better neonatal healthcare, stronger immunization coverage, and enhanced emergency medical support contributed to the decline.

The latest figures place urban Tripura far ahead of urban India, where IMR stood at 17 in 2024.

IMR in Rural Tripura Remains Double of Urban Areas

Despite the encouraging statewide improvement, the rural-urban disparity widened significantly.

Rural Tripura’s IMR fell from 16 in 2023 to 14 in 2024. However, the decline remained much slower than the dramatic improvement seen in urban regions.

Year	Area	Tripura IMR	India IMR
2023	Rural	16	28
2023	Urban	13	18
2024	Rural	14	27
2024	Urban	7	17

The data clearly shows that rural infant mortality in Tripura remains exactly double the urban rate in 2024.

Even though rural Tripura performs substantially better than rural India, where the IMR stands at 27, the figures underline persistent healthcare challenges in remote areas.

Healthcare specialists often associate higher rural IMR with weak referral systems, shortage of neonatal specialists, transportation barriers during emergencies, and uneven access to maternal healthcare services.

The latest SRS findings suggest that urban healthcare systems in Tripura are improving rapidly. However, rural healthcare infrastructure still requires focused intervention.

Urban Death Rate in Tripura

While Tripura’s overall Death Rate remained lower than the national figure, the urban mortality pattern has emerged as a key concern.

The state’s overall Death Rate stood at 5.9, compared to India’s 6.4. Rural Tripura reported a Death Rate of 5.8. However, urban Tripura registered a higher Death Rate of 6.2.

This figure is notable because urban India’s Death Rate stood lower at 5.6. In other words, urban residents in Tripura experienced a higher mortality rate than the national urban average. The urban Death Rate in Tripura was also higher than the state’s own rural Death Rate.

Urban Tripura Death Rate : 6.2 compared to National Urban Death Rate 5.6

Public health analysts say this reversal is unusual because urban regions generally benefit from better healthcare access, hospitals and medical infrastructure. Experts believe the higher urban mortality rate in Tripura may be linked to lifestyle-related diseases, rising stress levels, pollution, sedentary habits and the growing burden of non-communicable illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Some observers also point to possible disparities in urban healthcare delivery and pressure on medical facilities in rapidly expanding towns and cities.

SRS 2024 report reveals IMR drop in Rural Tripura is slower than Urban Areas — SRS 2024 report reveals IMR drop in Rural Tripura is slower than in Urban Areas

Nationally, Chhattisgarh recorded the country’s highest Death Rate at 8.4, while Chandigarh reported the lowest at 3.9.

Tripura Continues to Maintain Lower Birth Rate

The SRS reports also show that Tripura’s birth rate remains significantly lower than the national average.

In 2023, Tripura recorded a birth rate of 15.3 against India’s 18.4. The figure declined further to 15.0 in 2024, while India’s birth rate remained at 18.3.

The contrast is especially visible in rural areas.

Year	Area	Tripura Birth Rate	India Birth Rate
2023	Rural	15.7	20.3
2023	Urban	14.2	14.7
2024	Rural	15.4	20.2
2024	Urban	14.0	14.7

Rural Tripura’s birth rate in 2024 remained nearly five points lower than rural India’s average.

Demographers generally link lower birth rates with rising literacy, better awareness of family planning, urbanization, delayed marriages, and improved maternal healthcare access.

The trend indicates that Tripura is moving faster toward demographic transition compared to many Indian states.

National Health Comparison

According to the SRS 2024 report, Bihar recorded the highest birth rate in the country at 26.8. Meanwhile, Andaman and Nicobar Islands registered the lowest birth rate at 9.9.

Chhattisgarh reported the country’s highest Infant Mortality Rate at 36. On the other hand, Manipur recorded the lowest IMR at just 2.

Against this national backdrop, Tripura’s overall IMR performance remains relatively strong. Yet, the widening rural-urban divide highlights the need for stronger healthcare delivery systems in villages and remote regions.

Public health experts say the next challenge for Tripura will be ensuring that rural healthcare improvements match the rapid progress achieved in urban centres.