Haryana’s sex ratio jumps to 923, highest in five years

Haryana has shown a strong improvement in its fight against gender bias, with the sex ratio at birth (SRB) rising to 923 in 2025, the highest level recorded in the last five years. This marks a major turnaround after a setback in 2024, when the state’s sex ratio dropped to 910 girls per 1,000 boys.

The Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government said the 13-point rise in a single year is one of the biggest improvements seen in the past decade. Officials believe this progress shows that strict action against sex-selective abortions and renewed focus on saving the girl child are finally producing results.

Sex ratio shows strong recovery

According to data from the Civil Registration System (CRS), Haryana recorded 5,19,691 births in 2025, which is slightly higher than the 5,16,402 births in 2024. Despite the increase in total births, the sex ratio improved because 3,362 more girls were born in 2025, while the number of boys born was 73 fewer compared to the previous year.

Haryana had earlier achieved an SRB of 923 for the first time in 2019, but the figure gradually declined in the following years. After standing at 922 in 2020, the sex ratio fell to 914 in 2021, rose slightly to 917 in 2022, slipped again to 916 in 2023, and then dropped sharply to 910 in 2024. The improvement in 2025 is therefore being seen as a major psychological boost for officials and social workers involved in the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign.

Health department officials said the rise in SRB was mainly driven by an increase in female births, which clearly reflects better enforcement of laws and stricter monitoring. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal played a key role in pushing the health machinery to act firmly against illegal practices.

Rajpal said the government changed its strategy and ensured that the save-the-girl-child campaign reached every corner of the state. He also said fear of being caught acted as a strong deterrent for those involved in illegal sex determination and abortions.

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Crackdown and district-level gains

One of the most important steps taken by the government was a strict crackdown on illegal abortion methods, especially the availability of MTP kits, including those sold online. Officials said cutting off this supply chain dealt a major blow to people carrying out sex-selective abortions.

Another key measure was the “reverse tracking” system. Under this policy, ASHA workers were linked with pregnant women who already had one girl child. These women were closely monitored, as they were considered more vulnerable to family pressure for sex selection. This system helped the government identify suspicious cases early and take timely action.

During 2025, the state registered over 150 FIRs under the PCPNDT and MTP Acts. Multiple raiding teams conducted inspections across districts, while a State Task Force, formed in March 2025 and led by Sudhir Rajpal, reviewed SRB figures every week. These reviews were often strict and involved officials from health, police, women and child development, prosecution, food and drug administration, and district authorities.

The results were visible at the district level. Three districts—Panchkula, Fatehabad, and Panipat—crossed the 950 mark in 2025. No district had achieved this in 2024, when Yamunanagar’s SRB of 939 was the highest.

Panchkula emerged as the top performer, recording an SRB of 971, after a massive 56-point jump from 915 in 2024. Fatehabad followed with 961, improving by 36 points, while Panipat rose to 951, marking a 51-point increase.

Several other districts also showed strong improvement. Karnal reached 944 after an 18-point rise, while Kaithal and Faridabad improved by 17 points each. Ambala, Kurukshetra, Jhajjar, and Hisar also recorded steady gains. Charkhi Dadri, earlier identified as a trouble spot, showed a remarkable 44-point jump, rising from 869 to 913.

However, not all districts performed equally well. Gurugram, despite its economic growth, recorded only a two-point increase and remained below the state average at 901. Sonepat and Jind were the only districts where the SRB declined slightly in 2025.

Health experts said the improvement is the result of coordinated action and strict enforcement. Dr GL Singal, a senior expert associated with the save-the-girl-child programme, said the task force’s efforts helped prevent the deaths of over 7,000 unborn girls in 2025 alone.

Officials say Haryana now has a clear strategy to further improve its sex ratio. The government plans to continue strict monitoring, district-level accountability, and awareness drives to ensure that the progress made in 2025 is not reversed.