HYDERABAD: Telangana's birth rate has been steadily falling, according to the Union Ministry of Statistics' Children in India 2025 report.
The report said that the state recorded a crude birth rate of 15.8 per 1,000 population in 2023, down from 16.5 in 2022. In rural areas, the figure stood at 16.2, while in urban areas it was 15.2. By comparison, India's national birth rate declined from 19.1 in 2022 to 18.4 in 2023.
Telangana ranks low in sex ratio
The report also flagged a decline in the state's child sex ratio. In 2017, Telangana had 915 girls per 1,000 boys, but by 2022 the figure dropped to 907. Only Bihar and Maharashtra ranked lower.
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Neonatal mortality in the state was recorded at 14 deaths per 1,000 live births within the first month, and nine deaths per 1,000 within the first week.
Education trends
Telangana's enrolment rate for 2024-25 is higher than the national average. Pre-primary enrolment is 72.4%, and retention up to Class VI is strong. However, enrolment falls to 63.8% by the time students reach intermediate level.
The state spends ₹21,526 per student annually on school education, significantly higher than the national average of ₹12,616.
High mobile phone use among children
The report noted that 62.6% of children use their parents' mobile phones, while 30.2% of children aged 8-18 own a phone. Nearly 94.8% use phones for online classes, besides messaging, study material access, listening to music, and gaming.
Crimes against children
Across India, 1,62,449 crimes against children were reported in 2022, of which 45.7% (74,284) were kidnappings. Sexual offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act nearly doubled since 2019.
Delhi reported the highest crime rate against children at 42.3 per lakh population, followed by Puducherry (29.6), Chandigarh (24.7) and Chhattisgarh (24.2).
In 2022, there were 30,555 cases involving children in conflict with the law, including theft (7,879), robbery (2,651), excise violations (209), narcotics (464) and IT Act cases (66).