Mumbai: The city has witnessed a 15% rise in the number of children born this year until November. As per the statistics, 1,13,669 children were born in 2021, which has now increased to 1,20,417. Officials have attributed the rise to an increase in the number of migrants returning to Mumbai post-lockdown. The birth rate was low in 2021 as many took arduous journeys to their natives when Covid raged here. As we have entered the new normal, these people are returning back in search of livelihoods again.
Terming the increased birth rate a “good sign”, BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Mangala Gomare said, “After relaxation of the lockdown, the working class has started coming back to Mumbai again. The comforting thing is that the birth rate in Mumbai is slowly improving.”
As per the BMC data, 1.55 lakh births were recorded in 2017, which dropped to 1.51 lakh in 2018, followed by 1.48 lakh in 2019. But in 2020 and 2021, the figures dipped more due to the pandemic, with 1.20 lakh and 1.13 lakh births being recorded in both the years, respectively. The Covid uncertainty also compelled several to rethink their family planning.
According to experts, some women decided to give birth at home to protect themselves from Covid, so those deliveries went unreported. This situation was especially prevalent in the slums. A total of 353 home births were recorded in 2019, which declined to 256 in 2020, said data.
Almost 40% of Mumbai’s population lives in densely populated slums, as per 2011 census. When the pandemic started, many slums like Worli Koliwada and Dharavi turned into Covid hotspots. “Some of these areas are also home to the migrant population. The first national lockdown saw several lakh of migrants, including pregnant women, leave the city. After the flattening of the pandemic curve, though many men returned in 2021, they left their wives back home,” said a senior health official.
“The findings are not surprising to many demographers, who have noted similar declines all across the world, including in developed countries like the United States. When a new disease outbreaks, people panic, which has emotional and financial repercussions. So, though they don’t forego childbearing, they delay it until the situation improves,” said one of the experts. They also pointed out that such a “baby bust” was also witnessed after catastrophic events such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 1918 influenza pandemic.
2018
1.51 lakh
2019
1.48 lakh
2020
1.20 lakh births
2021
1,13,669
2022 figure
1,20,417
Home births
2019: 353
2020: 256
Experts say...
Some women decided to give birth at home to protect themselves from Covid. So those deliveries went unreported.
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