Synopsis: The five southern states recorded a 17 percent decline in birth registrations over the past decade, even as India’s overall registrations rose by 9.6 percent. Tamil Nadu and Kerala led the southern decline, while Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana showed mixed trends. The shrinking southern share of national births carries political implications.

South India’s five states recorded a sharp 17 percent decline in birth registrations over the past decade, even as India’s overall births rose 9.6 percent, adding 2.2 crore registrations between 2014 and 2023, according to the latest Vital Statistics of India report based on the Civil Registration System 2023.

Tamil Nadu led the southern slide, falling from 12.07 lakh births in 2014 to 9.03 lakh in 2023, a loss of more than t

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