Geospatial mapping of consanguineous marriage in India: Evidence from a cross-sectional study

Consanguineous marriage remains a culturally embedded practice in many parts of India. This study examines the spatial distribution and socio-demographic correlates of consanguineous marriage across districts in India. Data were derived from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), conducted in 2019-2021. Moran's Index and Univariate Local Indicator of Spatial Association (LISA) were used for analysis. The prevalence of consanguineous marriage decreased from 14.4% in 1992-93 to 10.8% in 2019-21. Out of 707 districts, 97 districts have high consanguineous marriages above 20 percent; among these, the top five districts are from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The regression model revealed that education, caste, religion, place of residence, and wealth index have a significant association with consanguineous marriage in India. Consanguineous marriage exhibits strong spatial clustering across India, driven by underlying socio-demographic characteristics.