MORTALITY TRANSITION IN INDIA 1970–2005

Abstract

Using life tables, this paper analyses mortality transition in India from 1970 through 2005. The analysis reveals that the rise in the life expectancy in India has at best been slow by global standards despite the fact that mortality levels in India are still high. Improvements in the life expectancy has been particularly slow in the urban areas. The analysis also reveals that the rate of improvement in the probability of survival in the first five years of life has decelerated over time. For females, this probability has decreased in recent years. There has also been a considerable slowdown in the decrease in life table entropy, especially the female life table, indicating that the shift in the concentration of deaths towards older ages has slowed down. Hastening the pace of mortality transition in India requires a pragmatic, multi-dimensional approach, which is missing at present. There is a need to emphasize substantive health care rather than formal, institution-based care.