What the NFHS-6 tells us about how women and children are doing in India

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023-24, has been released, offering the latest nationally representative data on population, heal...

What Happened

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023-24, has been released, offering the latest nationally representative data on population, health, and nutrition across India.
Institutional delivery coverage rose to 90.6% (from 88.6% in NFHS-5) and full vaccination among children aged 12–23 months improved from 83.8% to 87.1%.
Child stunting declined from 35.5% in NFHS-5 to 29.3% in NFHS-6, while severe wasting fell from 7.7% to 5.2%, though overall wasting remains high at 19%.
Women's participation in major household decisions reached 89%, reflecting gains in financial inclusion, digital access, and decision-making autonomy.
NFHS-6 dropped blood-drawn anaemia testing, drawing criticism as it breaks continuity with the Anaemia Mukt Bharat tracking framework established in earlier rounds.

Static Topic Bridges

National Family Health Survey (NFHS) — What It Is and Why It Matters

The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and implemented by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai. It has been conducted periodically since 1992-93 (NFHS-1), with each round providing district-, state-, and national-level estimates for fertility, child and maternal health, nutrition, family planning, domestic violence, and women's empowerment. NFHS data are aligned with India's commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and inform flagship programmes like Poshan 2.0, Anaemia Mukt Bharat, and Mission Indradhanush.

NFHS-1: 1992-93; NFHS-2: 1998-99; NFHS-3: 2005-06; NFHS-4: 2015-16; NFHS-5: 2019-21; NFHS-6: 2023-24
Implements the internationally standardised Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) methodology
Covers 707 districts across 28 states and 8 Union Territories
NFHS-5 first provided district-level estimates; NFHS-6 continues this granularity

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 is the benchmark reference for tracking India's nutrition, maternal health, and women's empowerment goals; its findings directly shape policy allocations and programme redesigns.

Child Malnutrition in India — Constitutional and Policy Framework

The right to adequate nutrition and health is rooted in the Constitution of India. Article 21 (Right to Life) has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to include the right to health and livelihood. Article 47 (Directive Principle of State Policy) explicitly directs the State to raise the level of nutrition, the standard of living, and public health. The three main indicators of child undernutrition are: stunting (low height-for-age, reflecting chronic malnutrition), wasting (low weight-for-height, reflecting acute malnutrition), and underweight (low weight-for-age, a composite indicator). India also faces a "double burden" — persistent undernutrition coexisting with rising obesity among adults, a phenomenon tracked across successive NFHS rounds.

Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission), launched 2018, aims to reduce stunting by 2% and underweight/wasting by 2% per year
Poshan 2.0 (2021) integrates ICDS, Poshan Abhiyaan, National Crèche Scheme, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
Anaemia Mukt Bharat (2018) targets reduction of anaemia prevalence in women and children — its tracking is now compromised without blood-drawn testing in NFHS-6
Wasting above 15% is classified as a public health emergency by WHO standards; India's 19% wasting rate exceeds this threshold

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 shows stunting is declining but wasting remains a crisis. The discontinuation of blood-drawn anaemia testing in NFHS-6 weakens the evidence base for Anaemia Mukt Bharat.

Women's Empowerment Indicators and SDG Linkages

Women's empowerment in NFHS is measured across dimensions: autonomy in decision-making, financial inclusion, experience of domestic violence, and workforce participation. NFHS-5 had already noted significant inter-state variation — states like Meghalaya and Manipur showed high female autonomy while states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh lagged. These indicators feed into India's reporting on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The Constitution guarantees equality under Article 14 and prohibits sex-based discrimination under Article 15, while Article 39(a) directs equal right to livelihood.

Women deciding alone on own healthcare: a key NFHS indicator of personal autonomy
Spousal domestic violence data is a mandatory NFHS module, linked to national policy responses
Financial inclusion of women (bank accounts, digital access) improved substantially in NFHS-6, credited partly to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
NFHS-6 records 89% women participating in major household decisions nationally

Connection to this news: Gains in women's financial inclusion and decision-making from NFHS-6 are a positive signal, but sub-national disparities and the nutrition crisis underscore that aggregate improvements can mask concentrated disadvantage.

Immunisation Programme — Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP)

India's Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), one of the world's largest public health programmes, targets all children under the age of two years and pregnant women. Launched in 1985 (expanded from EPI, 1978), it has been progressively expanded with new vaccines. Mission Indradhanush (2014) and Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 and 3.0 targeted children and pregnant women who had been left out of routine immunisation.

Full vaccination (12–23 months) in NFHS-6: 87.1% (up from 83.8% in NFHS-5)
Rotavirus vaccine coverage more than doubled: 36.4% (NFHS-5) → 85.4% (NFHS-6)
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) was introduced into UIP in 2017
Target: 90% full immunisation coverage under UIP

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 immunisation data shows significant strides, with rotavirus coverage doubling — a direct result of expanded UIP and Mission Indradhanush interventions.

Key Facts & Data

NFHS-6 survey period: 2023-24
Implemented by: International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai
Ministry responsible: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
Institutional delivery rate: 90.6% (NFHS-6) vs. 88.6% (NFHS-5)
Stunting (children under 5): 29.3% (NFHS-6) vs. 35.5% (NFHS-5)
Wasting (children under 5): 19.0% (NFHS-6) — unchanged from NFHS-5 at ~19%
Severe wasting: 5.2% (NFHS-6) vs. 7.7% (NFHS-5)
Full vaccination coverage (12–23 months): 87.1% (NFHS-6) vs. 83.8% (NFHS-5)
Rotavirus vaccination: 85.4% (NFHS-6) vs. 36.4% (NFHS-5)
Women in major household decisions: 89% (NFHS-6)
Blood-drawn anaemia testing: dropped in NFHS-6 (breaks Anaemia Mukt Bharat tracking)
WHO threshold for wasting as a public health emergency: 15%
NFHS-1 started: 1992-93; NFHS-6 is the sixth round