Have State-Level Inequalities including Gender Gaps in Completeness of Death Registration in India Narrowed in Last Two Decades of Civil Registration System Strengthening?

Jayanta Kumar Basu, University of Melbourne

Background: In India, the number of registered deaths increased substantially in recent years, improving the potential of civil registration system to be the primary source of mortality data. This study aims to critically analyze whether the level and recent trends in state-level inequalities in death registration completeness in India, including by gender, have really reduced in last two decades of CRVS system strengthening. Methods: Completeness of death registration is calculated using the empirical completeness method. Levels and trends in inequalities in completeness are measured in each state using two socio-economic indicators– the Socio-Demographic Index and Multi-dimensional Poverty Indicator. Results: Although by large state-level inequalities by state remain, there was a narrowing of inequalities by SDI and to a lesser extent by MPI. However, gender level inequalities in death registration are still a serious concern. Conclusions: Although narrowing of inequalities in completeness demonstrates that the benefits of higher levels of death registration have spread to relatively poorer states of India in recent years, the continued low completeness in some states and for females are concerning. The Indian CRVS system also needs to increase the number of registered deaths with age at death reported to improve their usability for mortality statistics.

Keywords: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics, Mortality and Longevity, Data and Methods, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

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