National Family Health Survey-6 to be released shortly

The National Family Health Survey — 6th Round (NFHS-6) is scheduled for release in May 2026, covering data collected during 2023-24. NFHS-6 covered 6,79,238 ...

What Happened

The National Family Health Survey — 6th Round (NFHS-6) is scheduled for release in May 2026, covering data collected during 2023-24.
NFHS-6 covered 6,79,238 households across all 28 states and 8 Union Territories of India, generating district-level estimates for all 731 districts.
For the first time, all aspects of survey coordination were handled solely by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai — unlike previous rounds which involved multiple coordinating agencies.
NFHS-6 used an entirely digital data collection methodology via Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) software, incorporating real-time error detection and data quality checks.
NFHS-6 will provide updated estimates on key indicators including Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), under-5 mortality, child nutrition (stunting, wasting, underweight), anaemia prevalence, and institutional delivery rates.

Static Topic Bridges

National Family Health Survey (NFHS) — Overview and Institutional Framework

The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round household survey conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, is the nodal agency designated by MoHFW. NFHS provides comprehensive data on population, health, nutrition, and domestic violence at national, state, and district levels. Since NFHS-4 (2015-16), the periodicity has been set at approximately 5 years; MoHFW subsequently decided on a 3-year cycle to enable more frequent tracking of health outcomes.

NFHS series: NFHS-1 (1992-93), NFHS-2 (1998-99), NFHS-3 (2005-06), NFHS-4 (2015-16), NFHS-5 (2019-21), NFHS-6 (2023-24)
Nodal agency: IIPS, Mumbai; funded by MoHFW; technical support from WHO, USAID/DHS Program
Periodicity: MoHFW decided on 3-year cycle from 2015-16 onwards
NFHS-5 household coverage: 6,36,699 households; NFHS-6: 6,79,238 households (increase of ~42,539)
NFHS-6 is the first to use CAPI for entirely digital data collection

Connection to this news: NFHS-6's imminent release will provide the most current baseline for India's health and demographic indicators — directly informing SDG tracking, UNDP/WHO assessments, and government programme evaluations.

Key Health Indicators Tracked by NFHS

NFHS is the primary source for India's official demographic and health indicator estimates. Key indicators include:

Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Average number of children born per woman over her reproductive lifetime. India's TFR fell from 2.2 (NFHS-4, 2015-16) to 2.0 (NFHS-5, 2019-21), below the replacement level of 2.1.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): Number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births. India's MMR has declined from 254 (2004-06) to 97 (Sample Registration System 2018-20); SDG 3.1 target: below 70 by 2030.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): Deaths of infants under 1 year per 1,000 live births. India's IMR: 28 per 1,000 live births (SRS 2020). SDG 3.2 target: below 12 by 2030.
Child Nutrition: NFHS-5 found 35.5% of under-5 children stunted, 19.3% wasted, 32.1% underweight.
Anaemia prevalence: NFHS-5 found 67.1% of children (6-59 months) and 57% of women anaemic — a rise from NFHS-4.

SDG 3.1: MMR below 70 per 1,00,000 live births by 2030
SDG 3.2: End preventable deaths — IMR below 12; neonatal mortality below 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030
NFHS-5 TFR: 2.0 (national); below replacement level 2.1
Poshan Abhiyaan (2018): India's flagship nutrition mission targeting stunting, wasting, underweight, and low birth weight

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 data will reveal whether India's nutritional and mortality indicators have improved between 2021 and 2024 — a critical period that includes post-COVID recovery, PM-JAY expansion, and Poshan Abhiyaan implementation.

Constitutional and Policy Basis for Health Surveys

The Government of India's mandate to track and improve public health derives from Article 47 of the Constitution (Directive Principle of State Policy), which directs the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health. National health surveys like NFHS operationalise this constitutional obligation by generating the data needed to monitor progress.

Article 47 (DPSP): State duty to improve nutrition and public health
Article 21: Right to life (judicially interpreted to include right to health)
Article 246 read with Schedule 7, List II, Entry 6: Public health and sanitation is a state subject
Article 253: Parliament can legislate on matters arising from international treaties (enables health SDG legislation)
National Health Policy 2017: sets targets for IMR (under 28), MMR (under 100), and TFR (2.1) by 2025

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 will serve as the key evidence base to assess whether Article 47 obligations and National Health Policy 2017 targets have been met — informing India's Voluntary National Review (VNR) for SDG reporting.

District-Level Health Data and Planning

NFHS is distinctive in generating health estimates at the district level — enabling sub-state level planning and identification of lagging geographies. NFHS-4 (2015-16) was the first to cover all 640 districts; NFHS-5 covered 707 districts; NFHS-6 covers all 731 districts as of 2024. District-level data is used by NHM for fund allocation, NITI Aayog's Aspirational Districts Programme (now Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme), and state health departments for targeted interventions.

NFHS-6: district-level data for all 731 districts across 28 states and 8 UTs
NFHS-5: 707 districts; NFHS-4: 640 districts
Aspirational Districts Programme (now ADPB): uses NFHS data as baseline for health indicator improvement
NHM resource allocation formula includes NFHS-based health outcomes

Connection to this news: The expansion of NFHS-6 coverage to 731 districts and its use of CAPI methodology improves both breadth and data quality, making it a more robust tool for district-level health governance than previous rounds.

Key Facts & Data

NFHS-6 conducted: 2023-24; expected release: May 2026
NFHS-6 household coverage: 6,79,238 households across all 36 states/UTs (28 states + 8 UTs)
District coverage: 731 districts (all districts as of 2024)
Nodal agency: IIPS, Mumbai; under MoHFW
First NFHS to use 100% digital (CAPI) data collection
NFHS-5 TFR: 2.0 (below replacement level of 2.1); NFHS-4 TFR: 2.2
India's MMR (SRS 2018-20): 97 per 1,00,000 live births; SDG 3.1 target: below 70 by 2030
India's IMR (SRS 2020): 28 per 1,000 live births; SDG 3.2 target: below 12 by 2030
NFHS-5 child stunting: 35.5%; wasting: 19.3%; underweight: 32.1%
NFHS-5 anaemia (children 6-59 months): 67.1%; women: 57% — both rose from NFHS-4
Article 47 (Constitution): DPSP — State duty to improve public health and nutrition