National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6.  

About

• The NFHS-6 was conducted during 2023-24 by MoHFW with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as the nodal agency.
• Covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, the survey provides evidence on population, health, nutrition and family welfare indicators.
• It supports evidence-based planning and programme implementation up to the district level.

Major Findings

• Improvements in Maternal and Child Healthcare: 95.9% of pregnant women received antenatal care (ANC), while mothers receiving ANC in the first trimester increased from 70.0% to 76.2%. 
• Institutional Deliveries: Institutional deliveries increased from 88.6% to 90.6%, moving India closer towards universal coverage. Births attended by skilled health personnel improved from 89.4% to 91.3%.
  • Caesarean section deliveries have also increased sharply from 21.5% to 27.2% in India, the C-section rate in urban areas stood at 40%. This rate far exceeds the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) optimal threshold of 10-15%.
• Maternal Nutrition: Mothers consuming iron folic acid supplements for 100 days or more during pregnancy increased from 44.1% to 54.9%, while those consuming supplements for 180 days or more rose from 26.0% to 37.8%.
• Family Planning: India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remains at 2.0. The Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) increased from 66.7% to 69.1%, with focus on well-being of mother and child.
• Child Immunization Success: Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months based on vaccination cards, increased from 83.8% to 87.1%.
  • 95.6% of children received most vaccinations through public health facilities.
  • Any vaccine received by children aged 12-23 months remains consistently high above 96%.
• Child Nutrition: 95.6% of children under six months of age were found to be breastfed during the survey period.
  • Stunting (low height for age) among children under five years declined substantially from 35.5% to 29.3%.
  • Severe wasting (too thin for one’s height) declined sharply from 7.7% to 5.2%, while underweight prevalence in under five children also registered a marginal decline from 32.1% to 31.8%.
• Health Protection Expansion: Health insurance/financing scheme coverage has expanded significantly from 41.0% to 60.2% at the household level.
• Women’s Empowerment and Financial 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%, and women having a mobile phone that they themselves use rose from 53.9% to 63.6%.
  • The use of hygienic methods of menstrual protection among women aged 15-24 years has increased from 77.6% to 79.2%.

Conclusion

• The findings reflect steady gains in maternal and child health, nutrition, women’s empowerment and access to essential services.
• At the same time, emerging challenges such as rising non-communicable diseases and the dual burden of undernutrition and rising overweight/obesity among adults highlight the need for continued focus on preventive healthcare.
• Overall, the findings reaffirm India’s steady progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• With continued emphasis on convergence, last-mile delivery and inclusive growth, India is well-positioned to sustain these gains and further improve the health and well-being of its population.

Source: PIB