239,000 Girls Die in India Every Year Due to Gender Bias: Study

In 2031, India will have 936 females per 1,000 males, lower than the sex ratio in 1951 of 946 females

In what comes as a disturbing shock to India, a quarter of a million girls die in India every year due to gender discrimination, concluded a Lancet study on 15 May. The study used 2011 census data to reach this number of what it calls “avoidable deaths” in 35 states and union territories and 640 districts of the country.

More than 90 percent of districts had excess female mortality, but the four largest states in northern India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh) accounted for two-thirds of India’s total number. Low economic development, gender inequity, and high fertility were the main predictors of excess female mortality. 

Lancet Study