The Data Team of The Hindu has been examining inter-district disparities in southern States through a series of Data Points. Previously covered were the district-wise variations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana. This article concludes the series by exploring the inter-district inequalities in Andhra Pradesh.
While uneven development was evident in the other states analyzed, a common pattern emerged: affluent districts typically excelled in socio-economic indicators, while poorer districts lagged. However, Andhra Pradesh deviated from this trend.
In Andhra Pradesh, wealthier districts did not lead in most socio-economic metrics. Rather, they often occupied the lower tiers in various rankings.
Krishna district, followed by Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, and West Godavari, were identified as the wealthiest. In contrast, Srikakulam, Kurnool, Vizianagaram, and Anantapur ranked among the poorest, with the remaining districts situated in between.
Regarding the share of households utilizing clean fuel for cooking between 2019 and 2021, over 90% of households in mid-tier districts like YSR (Kadapa), Guntur, and Prakasam had access to clean cooking fuel. Comparatively, Visakhapatnam reported only 73%, and East Godavari stood at 80%.
When considering health insurance coverage from 2019 to 2021, less than 70% of households in affluent districts—Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, and Krishna—were insured. In contrast, poorer districts such as Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Kurnool, and Anantapur ranked higher in household insurance coverage.
The maternal mortality rate (MMR) for 2020-21 revealed that the four wealthiest districts also topped the MMR rankings, with West Godavari having the highest rate of 111, followed by East Godavari (106), Visakhapatnam (102), and Krishna (86). Conversely, SPSR Nellore recorded the lowest MMR at 32, with Kurnool at 40.
In terms of out-of-pocket expenditure for childbirth in public health facilities during 2019-21, East Godavari had the highest average expense of ₹8,159, while Guntur, in second place, had expenditures less than half that amount. SPSR Nellore reported the lowest average at ₹1,104.
Regarding healthcare infrastructure, West Godavari ranked at the bottom with only 52 hospital beds per lakh population. Krishna district had 66 beds per lakh, which is lower than Chittoor (89) and Kurnool (80). Notably, Visakhapatnam, despite its wealth, led with 109.9 beds per lakh.
The share of severely wasted children under five years old in 2019-21 was another concerning parameter. In Visakhapatnam, over 11% of young children were classified as severely wasted, whereas Prakasam and Anantapur reported rates below 4%.
The annual average dropout rate for secondary education (Classes IX-X) in 2020-21 indicated that West Godavari had the highest dropout rate at 38.6%, while Vizianagaram, among the poorer districts, had the lowest at 8.3%.
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Source: National Family Health Survey-5, Statistical Abstract Andhra Pradesh 2021
Published – August 10, 2023, 04:03 PM IST
