The State recorded a sex ratio of 899 girls per 1,000 boys in 2022-24.
| Photo Credit: File photo
Maharashtra recorded a sex ratio of 899 girls per 1,000 boys during the 2022-24 period, marginally improving from 896 girls in 2012-14 but well below the national average of 918 girls, according to the latest Sample Registration System Statistical Report.
While rural Maharashtra registered a significant improvement from 888 to 910, the urban sex ratio fell sharply from 908 to 885. It also means that cities, which are often considered safe for gender parity showed poor performance, effectively offsetting rural gains, according to the report released last week.
Nationally, the trend is reversed, with urban India recording a higher sex ratio at birth than rural areas.
Chhattisgarh and Kerala recorded the highest sex ratio at birth with 978 and 974 females per 1,000 males, respectively. While Uttarakhand has the lowest with 872 females, Maharashtra stood in the bottom five, not too far ahead of Bihar (896), Haryana (885), and Delhi (876). Other states maintaining healthy ratios include Himachal Pradesh (956), Andhra Pradesh (946), and Assam (946).
Improved health care
The report shows that Maharashtra has improved in terms of providing health care to women, and the fertility rate is relatively better. The State’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) stands at 1.4 children per woman, which is below the national average of 1.9 and among the lowest in India. Nationally, Bihar recorded the highest fertility rate at 2.9 children per woman while Delhi registered the lowest at 1.2.
Similar to the sex ratio, fertility is higher in rural areas, at 1.5 children per woman while in urban areas it is 1.3 children.
The data also reveals that the overall Infant Mortality Rate in Maharashtra has decreased from 23.6% in 2012-14 to 13.5% in 2022-24.
Published – June 06, 2026 12:48 am IST