In most Indian states, 90% of births now take place in healthcare facilities
Institutional births refer to deliveries that take place in a health facility, whether public or private. As of 2021, nearly nine in ten births in India were institutional.
Among the larger states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala reported the highest levels of institutional births. At the other end, more than one in five deliveries still took place at home in five of India's states - Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya and Nagaland - as of 2021.
Ensuring that women give birth in a health facility is one of the most effective ways to reduce both maternal and infant deaths. Childbirth can involve complications that require timely medical care, making access to skilled health personnel and emergency obstetric services critical.
India has made significant progress in improving the number of institutional deliveries in the last three decades. In 1993, only about 25% of births took place in a public or private health facility. By 2021, this increased to nearly 90% of deliveries, and much of this progress came from rural areas.
Some states in particular have seen rapid progress. In Rajasthan and Odisha, for instance, only about one in ten births took place in a health facility in the early 1990s. By 2021, this had increased to more than nine in ten births.
Public health facilities account for most institutional deliveries in India, particularly in rural areas. Yet access remains uneven. Among the poorest rural households, more than 25% of births still occur at home.
Read more about the determinants of maternal mortality in India.
