Date of Publish: 2021-03-11

National Family Health Survey: Women are still behind men in literacy and education in Northeast The National Family Health Survey 5, (2019-20) has shown improvement in some key indicators including female population in per thousand males in all northeastern states. However, in literacy and education, the women are still way behind men except in urban areas of Mizoram in the category of years completed in schools. The survey, which was conducted in 22 states and Union territories, covered all northeastern states except Arunachal Pradesh.

The NFHS, 5 has shown that Manipur records the highest sex ratio with 1066 female population against per thousand male. It is also the highest in both urban (1077) and rural areas (1060). Sex ratio is the lowest in Sikkim with 990. In Rural Sikkim the sex ratio is 964.

Sex Ratio of the total population NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh	-	-	-	-
Assam	982	1017	1012	993
Manipur	1077	1060	1066	1049
Meghalaya	1118	1020	1039	1005
Mizoram	1043	988	1018	1012
Nagaland	980	1020	1007	968
Sikkim	1033	964	990	942
Tripura	1024	1029	1028	969

Mizoram has the highest percentage number of female literates in the age group of 15-49 with 94.4 per cent followed by Sikkim (88.9) and Meghalaya (88.2). Significantly, Assam, which has the largest population among all north-eastern states, recorded the lowest percentage of 77.2 of female literates in this age group.

Woman who are literate (15-49) NFHS5, 2019-20

	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	87.5	75.4	77.2	-
Manipur	92.1	84.8	87.6	-
Meghalaya	97.1	85.5	88.2	-
Mizoram	99.1	87.7	94.4	-
Nagaland	91.5	82.7	85.8	-
Sikkim	92.8	86.2	88.9	-
Tripura	89.9	76.9	80.6	-

 

In case of male literates in the age-group of 15-49, too Mizoram recorded the highest percentage with 97.1, followed by Manipur (95.2) and Nagaland (93.3).

Men who are literate (15-49) NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	92.6	82.8	84.3
Manipur	96.9	94.0	95.2	-
Meghalaya	92.9	81.5	83.7	-
Mizoram	99.2	94.2	97.1	-
Nagaland	97.7	90.7	93.3	-
Sikkim	96.9	90.3	93.0	-
Tripura	93.5	86.0	88.2	-

In the category of females who have completed 10 years or more in schools, Tripura recorded the lowest with 23.2 per cent, followed by Assam (29.6) and Meghalaya (33.6). Mizoram recorded the highest percentage of female who have completed 10 years or more in schools with 50 per cent.

Women with 10 or more years in schooling, NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh	-	-	-	-
Assam	49	26.2	29.6	26.2
Manipur	60.0	40.6	48.1	45.9
Meghalaya	61.4	27.3	35.1	33.6
Mizoram	62.3	32.7	50.0	39.9
Nagaland	63.7	34.1	44.4	33.3
Sikkim	60.2	41.2	49.0	40.7
Tripura	36.6	17.9	23.2	23.4

In case of male completing schools for 10 years and more, Manipur recorded the highest with 58.7 percentage. Sikkim is followed by Manipur with 55 percentage. However there is a significant gap between urban(70.7) and rural (44,2) areas. Assam and Tripura recorded the lowest 35.5 percent male population, who have completed 10 years or more in schools with 35.5 per cent.

Men with 10 or more years of schooling, NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh	-	-	-	-
Assam	53.2	33.2	35.5	33.2
Manipur	66.9	52.7	58.7	54.9
Meghalaya	63.9	27.7	34.7	34.5
Mizoram	59.1	35.9	49.1	43.2
Nagaland	75.6	39.8	53.1	37.7
Sikkim	70.7	44.2	55.0	45.1
Tripura	39.7	25.1	35.5	35.5

In the category of population living in household with clean fuel of cooking, there is huge gap between urban and rural areas in all north-eastern states. In Nagaland for instance, 81.1 percent households in urban areas use clean fuel for cooking, against 24.9 in rural areas. In case of Meghalaya it is 76.7 per cent in urban areas and 21.7 in rural areas. In case of Assam 85.5 households in urban areas and 33.7 per cent households in rural use clean fuel for cooking.

Population living in household with clean fuel of cooking, NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	85.5	33.7	42.1	25.1
Manipur	86.4	60.7	70.4	42.1
Meghalaya	76.7	21.7	33.7	21.8
Mizoram	97.9	66.4	83.8	66.1
Nagaland	81.1	24.9	43.0	32.8
Sikkim	97.5	64.4	78.4	59.1
Tripura	75.4	32.6	45.3	31.9

Mizoram also recorded the highest population living in household (95.3 percent)with improved sanitation facility, followed by Nagaland with 87.7 per cent and Sikkim with 87.3 per cent. Manipur recorded the lowest population living in household with improved sanitation facility with 64.9 percent. In Assam the percentage is 68.6.

Population living in household with improved sanitation facility, NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	69.7	68.4	68.6	49
Manipur	60.6	67.5	64.9	52.6
Meghalaya	81.3	83.3	82.9	61.4
Mizoram	97.1	93.2	95.3	84.4
Nagaland	82.2	90.4	87.7	76.7
Sikkim	84.0	89.3	87.3	89.7
Tripura	78.5	71.6	73.6	63.7

Mizoram also topped the list in the category of Population living in household with improved drinking water source with 95.8 percent, followed by Sikkim with 92.8 and Nagaland with 91.0. Manipur recorded the lowest population (77.1) living in household with improved drinking water source w

Population living in household with improved drinking water source, NFHS5, 2019-20

States	Urban	Rural	Total	NFHS4 (2015-16)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam	92.3	85.0	86.0	84.2
Manipur	90.4	68.9	77.1	63.9
Meghalaya	93.6	75.6	79.2	70.3
Mizoram	98.4	92.6	95.8	93.8
Nagaland	93.5	89.8	91.0	82.4
Sikkim	97.6	89.9	92.8	97.8
Tripura	98.2	84.0	88.0	86.4

 

NFHS-5 fieldwork for Assam was conducted between 17 June and 21 December, 2019 by Nielsen India Pvt. Ltd. The survey covered 30,119 households, 34,979 women, and 4,973 men. In Meghalaya the survey was conducted between 8 July and 15 November, 2019 by IQVIA Consulting and Information Services India Pvt. Ltd cvering 10,148 households, 13,089 women, and 1,824 men. In Manipur it was conducted between 25 July 2019 and 27 January, 2020 by Research and Development Initiative (RDI) Pvt. Ltd. covering 7,881 households, 8,042 women, and 1,162 men. Field-work in Mizoram was conducted between 8 July and 17 November, 2019 by IQVIA Consulting and Information Services India Pvt. Ltd covering 7,257 households, 7,279 women, and 1,105 men. In Nagaland, the survey was conducted by Research and Development Initiative (RDI) Pvt. Ltd between 15 July and 6 December, 2019. It covered 10,112 households, 9,694 women, and 1,456 men. In Sikkim, the survey was conducted between August 1 and December 28, 2019 by Karvy Data Management Services Ltd. The survey covered 3,516 households, 3,271 women, and 469 men.

In Tripura the survey conducted by Indian Institute of Health Management Research(IIHMR) was between July4 and November 10, 2019 covering 7,209 households, 7,314 women, and 990 men