By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 4: Meghalaya is showing signs of a demographic transition, with fewer births, declining adolescent pregnancies and a gradually ageing population, according to a report released by the State Health Resource Centre (SHRC).
As pert reports, drawing on data from successive National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), the report found that the state’s Total Fertility Rate dropped from 2.9 children per woman in 2015-16 to 2.2 in 2023-24.
The decline coincided with a rise in modern contraceptive use among married women from 22.5 per cent to 30.2 per cent and a reduction in teenage pregnancies from 7.2 per cent to 4.6 per cent.
The changing fertility pattern is slowly but gradually beginning to alter Meghalaya’s population structure.
The share of residents below the age of 15 fell from 37.3 per cent to 34.1 per cent between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6, while the proportion of people aged 60 years and above increased from 4.9 per cent to 6.8 per cent.
The report noted that although Meghalaya remains one of the country’s youngest states, the latest trends indicate that it is no longer becoming younger at the same pace.
It said future planning would need to balance child and maternal health priorities with the growing challenge of ageing and non-communicable diseases.
The study also recorded social improvements, including a decline in child marriage. The proportion of women aged 20-24 who were married before the age of 18 dropped from 16.9 per cent to 13.8 per cent.
Women’s financial and digital inclusion also improved markedly. Bank account ownership among women rose from 54.4 per cent in NFHS-4 to 81.5 per cent in NFHS-6, while mobile phone ownership reached 80.6 per cent.
However, the report cautioned that gains in health and demographic indicators should be accompanied by stronger investments in education, noting that the proportion of men and women completing 10 or more years of schooling remains below the national average.
