No. of married girls in India in age group 15-19 yrs down 51 pc since 2000: Report

The number of girls in India in the age group of 15-19 years who are currently married is down 51 per cent since 2000, and the country's average performance across a set of indicators related to child health has improved, a new report has said.

According to the Global Childhood Report released by UK-based NGO Save the Children, India, with its score on Childhood Index up 137 points, from 632 to 769, has also cut teen births by 63 per cent since 2000 and 75 per cent since 1990.

The index score reflects the average level of performance across a set of eight indicators related to child health, education, labour, marriage, childbirth and violence.

"This reduction has resulted in over 2 million fewer teen births in India now compared to 2000 (3.5 million v/s 1.4 million), meaning progress in India alone accounts for nearly three-quarters of the global reduction in adolescent births during this period," the report said.

The number of girls in India in the age group of 15-19 years who are ...