What happened: NFHS-6 (2023-24) indicators update from NFHS-5 (2019-21)
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shared key NFHS findings comparing NFHS-5 and NFHS-6. The update covers maternal health, immunisation, fertility and contraceptive use, and child nutrition, followed by adult health risk factors relevant to non-communicable diseases.
Background and earlier position (NFHS-5 to NFHS-6 comparison)
NFHS-5 (2019-21) established baseline levels for institutional delivery, antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, contraceptive prevalence, unmet need, total fertility, full immunisation, measles vaccination, rotavirus vaccination, and child nutrition outcomes. NFHS-6 (2023-24) was then used to assess changes in these indicators.
What changed in NFHS-6 compared with NFHS-5
NFHS-6 reports gains across core maternal health and child survival proxies. Institutional deliveries, antenatal care coverage (including at least four antenatal care visits), skilled birth attendance, and contraceptive prevalence all increased. Unmet need reduced, and total fertility remained stable below the replacement level. Immunisation coverage improved for full immunisation and key vaccines including measles-containing vaccine; rotavirus vaccination showed a particularly large increase. Child nutrition improved with reductions in stunting and severe wasting. For adult health, NFHS-6 notes higher overweight/obesity and higher proportions of adults with high blood sugar or those taking diabetes medicine, while hypertension prevalence shows a decline in both women and men.
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