The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) on Friday, stating that the data reflects India’s “accelerated progress” in maternal and child health, nutrition, and financial protection. One of the key highlights of the survey is that 95.6% of children received most vaccinations through public health facilities, reaffirming them as the preferred choice for immunisation services.

The NFHS-6 was conducted during 2023–24 by the Ministry in collaboration with the International Institute for Population Sciences, the nodal agency for the exercise. Covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, the survey provides comprehensive evidence on population, health, nutrition and family welfare indicators and supports evidence-based planning and programme implementation up to the district level.

According to the official findings, India has recorded notable progress in health, nutrition, and social development indicators, reflecting the impact of sustained policy interventions and the effective implementation of flagship programmes.

Maternal and child healthcare shows strong gains

NFHS-6 highlights significant improvements in maternal and child healthcare services across the country. It reports that 95.9% of pregnant women received antenatal care (ANC), while early ANC registration in the first trimester increased from 70.0% to 76.2%. Mothers receiving at least four ANC visits also rose from 58.5% to 65.2%, showing improved continuity of maternal healthcare services.

Institutional deliveries increased from 88.6% to 90.6%, moving closer to universal coverage. Births attended by skilled health personnel improved to 91.3%, while postnatal care for newborns within two days of delivery rose to 85.3%.

Maternal nutrition indicators also improved, with mothers consuming iron and folic acid supplements for 100 days or more increasing from 44.1% to 54.9%, and those consuming them for 180 days or more rising from 26.0% to 37.8%.

These gains reflect strengthened public health infrastructure and improved access to maternal and child healthcare services, driven by initiatives such as Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Facility-Based Newborn Care, Home-Based Newborn Care, and other NHM-supported interventions.

The release added that these programmes have improved antenatal and postnatal care coverage, ensured quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, and promoted safe motherhood and child health practices.

Family planning and fertility trends remain stable

In terms of family planning, India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remains at 2.0. The Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) increased from 66.7% to 69.1%, indicating improved access to family planning services and better focus on maternal and child well-being.

The release noted that these improvements reflect the continued impact of national family planning programmes, including Mission Parivar Vikas.

Major progress in immunisation coverage

The report said India continues to make strong progress towards universal immunisation coverage. Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12–23 months (based on vaccination cards) increased from 83.8% to 87.1%.

Importantly, 95.6% of children received most vaccinations through public health facilities, reaffirming trust in the public healthcare system.

Coverage across major vaccines also improved significantly. Rotavirus vaccination coverage increased sharply from 36.4% to 85.4%, while coverage of the second dose of measles-containing vaccine rose from 58.6% to 71.8%.

These gains are attributed to strengthened cold chain infrastructure, digital tracking systems such as U-WIN, and active engagement of frontline health workers under the Universal Immunisation Programme.

Child health indicators improve

The survey also recorded improvements in child health indicators. Prevalence of symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children declined from 2.8% to 1.9%, while prevalence of severe diarrhoea also fell to 0.5%.

These improvements reflect strengthened last-mile service delivery, enhanced cold chain infrastructure, and community engagement under national health programmes.

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Significant gains in child nutrition

NFHS-6 shows encouraging progress in child nutrition outcomes. Stunting (low height for age) among children under five declined substantially from 35.5% to 29.3%, indicating improvement in long-term nutritional outcomes.

Severe wasting (too thin for one’s height) declined from 7.7% to 5.2%, while underweight prevalence showed a marginal decline from 32.1% to 31.8%.

Infant and young child feeding practices also improved. Children aged 6–8 months receiving solid or semi-solid food along with breastmilk increased from 45.9% to 59.5%.

Early breastfeeding practices improved as well, with children breastfed within one hour of birth rising from 41.8% to 50.1%.

These gains are driven by convergent efforts across ministries through flagship initiatives such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and POSHAN 2.0, supported by strengthened service delivery under ICDS, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs), Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA), Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF), iron and folic acid supplementation, and growth monitoring programmes.

Financial protection and women’s empowerment expand

The release said health insurance and financial protection coverage has expanded significantly from 41.0% to 60.2% at the household level. This reflects the success of government initiatives aimed at reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and strengthening financial protection in healthcare.

Flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana have played a key role in improving access to affordable healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable groups, marking progress towards universal health coverage.

The survey also highlighted improvements in women’s empowerment and digital inclusion. Women who had ever used the internet nearly doubled from 33.3% to 64.3%. Women having a bank or savings account that they themselves use increased from 78.6% to 89.0%, while those using a mobile phone rose from 53.9% to 63.6%.

The use of hygienic menstrual protection among women aged 15–24 years increased from 77.6% to 79.2%, supported by initiatives such as the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) under RKSK and affordable sanitary products under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.

Emerging health challenges

While highlighting strong gains, NFHS-6 also pointed to emerging challenges such as rising non-communicable diseases, lifestyle-related risks, and the dual burden of undernutrition alongside increasing overweight and obesity among adults.

It stressed the need for continued focus on preventive healthcare, behavioural change, and balanced nutrition strategies.

Overall outlook

Overall, the NFHS-6 findings reaffirm India’s steady progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, with continued improvements in maternal and child health, nutrition, women’s empowerment, and financial protection.

The report concludes that sustained convergence of programmes, strengthened last-mile delivery, and inclusive growth strategies will be key to maintaining and accelerating these gains in the coming years.