MP's Infant, Maternal Mortality Rates Highest In Country, State's MMR 15, More Than Double Of National Average Of 6

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh has the highest MMR (Maternal Mortality Rate) and IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) among all states in the country. There has been a slight drop in the two vital indicators of mother-child health in the state.

According to Sample Registration System (SRS) reports 2025, released by the Registrar General of India earlier in this month (May 7), the MMR of Madhya Pradesh is 15, more than double of the national average of 6.

MMR refers to the number of deaths of women during pregnancy or delivery per one lakh live births. It is higher than Jharkhand (4), Bihar (9), Chhattisgarh (9) and Uttar Pradesh (13). Kerala has the best MMR at 1, which is 15 times lower than Madhya Pradesh’s. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have MMR of 2 each.

The MMR in Madhya Pradesh has seen a slight drop from 15.3 in 2018-20 to 15 in 2019 -21, the year for which latest data is available.

MP is the worst performer in terms of IMR also. The state’s IMR (infant deaths per 1000 live births) in 2019-21 was 41 - the highest among all states in the country. At the national level, IMR was 27. The IMR of MP is higher than Chhattisgarh (38), Uttar Pradesh (37), Odisha (35) and Assam (34). Kerala has the lowest IMR at 6.

In terms of IMR, Madhya Pradesh has also improved. It fell by two points from 43 in 2018-2020 to 41 in 2019-21. The state’s IMR was 45 in rural areas and 28 in urban areas in 2019-21. The corresponding figure was 47 and 30 respectively in 2018-20.