1. Ram B. Bhagat
International Institute for Population Sciences,
Mumbai-88
E-mail :rbbhagat@iips.net
Urbanisation and Children's Health in India:
1
Presentation for the Conference titled “ Rethinking Urbanisation and Equity in Asia:
Harnessing the Potential of Urban Living for Children”, held at IDS Sussex, 9-10th
June,
2014.
Session A2: Health and Nutrition Presentation: 2

2. Outline
Trend and pattern of urbanisation
Access to basic Amenities in urban area
 Children’s health status in urban area
 Urbanisation and health policy issues
2

3. 3
Census year
Urban
population
(in million)
Per cent
urban
Annual exponential
urban growth rate
(%)
1961 78.94 17.97 -
1971 109.11 19.91 3.23
1981 159.46 23.34 3.79
1991 217.18 25.72 3.09
2001 286.12 27.86 2.75
2011 377.10 31.16 2.76
Notes: As the 1981 Census was not conducted in Assam, and 1991 Census
was not held in Jammu and Kashmir, the population of India includes their projected figures.
Source: Census of India -respective censuses (www.censusindia.gov.in).
Trends in Urbanisation in India,1961-2011

4. 4
Decade Rural Urban Urban-Rural
Growth
Differentials
Speed of
Urbanisation
(%)
1971-81 1.76 3.79 2.03 1.72
1981-91 1.80 3.09 1.29 1.01
1991-2001 1.69 2.75 1.06 0.83
2001-2011 1.15 2.76 1.61 1.20
Urban-Rural Growth Differentials, 1971-2011
(annual exponential growth rate in %)

5. Components of Urban Growth
5

6. 6
Access to Basic Amenities in Urban Areas, India

7. 7
Household Assets and Access to Banking Services, Urban
Areas, India, 2011 ( in %).

8. 8
Slum Population and Children Living in Slums, 2011
( in million)
Note : Every fifth urban resident living in slum

9. Key Indicators of Children's Health Status
Child Health Rural Urban
IMR (2012) 46 28
Under 5 Mortality (2012) 58 32
Full Immunization
Of Children (12-23 months) 2005-
06
38.6 57.6
Weight for Age
Children below 5 years ( % below
2SD)
47.2 37.4
Height for Age
Children below 5 years ( % below
2SD
43.7 30.1
9

10. 10
Although urban area are better off than rural areas, there is a
need to see the influence of the level of urbanisation on the
children’s health indicators across states.

11. 11
Levels of Urbanisation, India, 2011

12. 12
Level of Urbanization and Child Immunization

13. 13
Level of Urbanization and Children Under Weight
( Weight for Age- below 2 SD)

14. Level of Urbanization and Children Stunted (Height for
Age- below 2 SD)
Linear Polynomial
14

15. 15
Level of Urbanisation and IMR, 2011, India
Linear Polynomial

16. 16
Conclusion and Policy Issues
• India’s level of urbanisation is still low and the share of natural
increase remains very. Rural to urban migration has very limited
role yet one in fifth urban dwellers live in slums.
•Urban areas are marked by huge deprivations of piped drinking
water, closed drainage and access to toilet facilities .
•As a result the health status in general and health status of
children though better than rural areas, yet remains hugely poor.
This shows the quality of India’s urbanisation.

17. 17
• In India both urban development and health are state subjects. Yet
central government launched flagship programmes like JNNURM
( Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) and NRHM
( National Rural Health Mission).
• It is realised that like NRHM, there is a need of NUHM ( National
Urban Health Mission) for the urban areas ( Approved in May
2013by Union Cabinet).
• There is also a greater need to improve access to piped water,
drainage and toilet facilities in urban areas. This requires greater
impetus on the schemes such as the Basic Services for the Urban
Poor component of the JNNURM.

18. 18
Thank you for Your Kind Attention!