Progress in Maternal and Child Health in India

The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), conducted in 2023-2024, reveals significant improvements in maternal and child health across India. The Health Ministry released these findings on May 29, 2026.

Key Improvements in Health Indicators

• Institutional Deliveries: Increased from 88.6% in 2019-2021 to 90.6%. 
• Full Vaccination: For children aged 12 to 23 months, coverage increased from 83.8% to 87.1%. 
• Breastfeeding: 95.6% of infants under six months were breastfed during the survey period. 

Child Health Improvements

• Stunting: Declined from 35.5% to 29.3% among children under five years. 
• Severe Wasting: Reduced from 7.7% to 5.2%. 
• Underweight Children: Marginally decreased from 32.1% to 31.8%. 
• Acute Respiratory Infections: Symptoms fell from 2.8% to 1.9%. 
• Severe Diarrhoea: Prevalence dropped to 0.5%. 

Challenges and Health Risks

• Rise in non-communicable diseases and lifestyle-related risks.
• The dual burden of undernutrition and increasing obesity among adults.
• Caesarean section deliveries increased from 21.5% to 27.2%, with urban areas reporting a 40% C-section rate, exceeding WHO's optimal threshold of 10-15%.

Fertility and Family Planning

• Total Fertility Rate: Stable at 2.0, just below the replacement level of 2.1. 
• Contraceptive Prevalence: Increased from 66.7% to 69.1%. 

Maternal Health and Nutrition

• Antenatal Care: 95.9% of pregnant women received care, with 76.2% in the first trimester, up from 70%. 
• Iron Folic Acid Supplements: Consumption during pregnancy for 100 days or more rose from 44.1% to 54.9%. 

Universal Immunisation Coverage

• Full vaccination among children aged 12-23 months increased to 87.1% from 83.8%.
• Rotavirus vaccination coverage rose substantially from 36.4% to 85.4%.
• The second dose of measles-containing vaccines increased from 58.6% to 71.8%.

Women's Health and Empowerment

• Use of hygienic menstrual methods among women aged 15-24 years increased from 77.6% to 79.2%.
• Health insurance or financing scheme coverage expanded from 41% to 60.2% at the household level.
• Internet usage among women nearly doubled from 33.3% to 64.3%.
• Women having a bank or savings account rose from 78.6% to 89%, and mobile phone use increased from 53.9% to 63.6%.

Survey Details

NFHS-6 was conducted in two phases, gathering data from approximately 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, covering new topics such as digital literacy and financial transactions.