NFHS-6 Shows Rise in Child Vaccination and Nutrition Gains in India

The latest NFHS-6 survey indicates a rise in child vaccination coverage to 87.1 percent and improvements in child nutrition in India, reflecting enhanced efforts in public healthcare and nutrition initiatives.

Significant improvements in child health indicators, such as immunization coverage and nutrition, have been observed in India as revealed by the sixth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) reported by the Union Health Ministry. The survey shows an increase in full vaccination among children aged 12-23 months from 83.8 percent in 2019-21 to 87.1 percent in 2023-24.

Positive trends can also be seen across various nutrition parameters. Stunting among children under five years has decreased from 35.5 percent to 29.3 percent, while severe wasting fell sharply from 7.7 percent to 5.2 percent. The enhanced public health infrastructure and programs like POSHAN Abhiyaan have played pivotal roles in these improvements.

Conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the support of the International Institute for Population Sciences, the survey covered nearly 6.79 lakh households. It highlighted a significant increase in community trust, with 95.6 percent of vaccinations for children being administered through public health facilities.

The Ministry attributes these health advancements to enhanced service delivery by health workers and improved infrastructure, including digital tracking systems. Convergent efforts involving several government initiatives have substantially contributed to these encouraging outcomes in child health and nutrition across India.