Assam’s BJP-led government has pushed through a Bill banning polygamy on Thursday, but national surveys show a long-term decline in the practice, both in the state and across India.
Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called the ban a “first step” towards a Uniform Civil Code
Notably, a 2022 research brief by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), based on data from the last three National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), reveals a consistent drop in polygyny.
The most common form of polygyny in India is among married women aged 15 to 49. The numbers reflect this shift clearly: from 1.9% in 2005–06, to 1.6% in 2015–16, and further down to 1.4% in 2019–21 at the national level.
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Biswanath, Karimganj, tops Assam's polygyny chart at 4.2%
Assam saw polygyny fall from 3.3% in 2005–06 to 2.4% in 2015–16, but then the decline stalled, remaining unchanged in the 2019–21 NFHS. During these years, Assam’s relative position fluctuated: sixth highest among states in 2005–06, eighth highest in 2015–16, and back to sixth in 2019–21.
Assam’s Biswanath and Karimganj districts record the state’s highest prevalence at 4.2% each. While Biswanath has a huge Scheduled Tribe population (15.21%), Karimganj’s population is over 50% Muslim. Yet, interestingly, within Assam, polygyny among Muslims fell from 6.9% in 2005–06 to 3.6% in 2019–21, while Hindu prevalence fell from 2.1% to 1.8%.
Meghalaya tops India in Polygyny at 6.1%, 18 states exceed the national average
India technically outlawed polygamy for Hindus in 1955 under the Hindu Marriage Act, though certain communities remain exceptions, and Muslim personal law still allows the practice.
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However, in 2019–21, 18 states and UTs reported polygyny rates above the national average. Meghalaya topped the list at 6.1%, followed by Mizoram (4.1%), Sikkim (3.9%), Arunachal Pradesh (3.7%) and Telangana (2.9%). Assam, Karnataka and Puducherry shared the sixth spot at 2.4%.
Some states saw a rise in polygyny between 2005 and 2016 like Mizoram, which jumped by nearly six percentage points. Others saw sharp declines, particularly in the Northeast: Arunachal Pradesh fell by 2.2 points, while Nagaland dropped by 2.1 points. Between 2015–16 and 2019–21, Meghalaya again showed the biggest increase (from 3.8% to 6.1%).
