Above 40% of the world's stunted children live in India: Report

Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO child growth standards median.

More than 40 per cent of the world's stunted children live in India, a report compiled by the NGO Sukarya has said.

The report was released by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey on Tuesday.

Stunting is the impaired growth and development that children experience due to poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation, the report on 'Public Health and Nutrition - Freeing Future Generations from Malnutrition' said.

Children are defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the WHO child growth standards median.

As per the report, malnutrition estimates are worrying as poor nutrition causes 45 per cent of the deaths among children below 5 years.

Further, the report stated that 60 per cent of the malnutrition burden in the country falls on Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

(With inputs from agencies.)