National Family Health Survey-6 findings | Complete coverage from The Hindu

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey–6 (NFHS-6) covering data collected in 2023–24, surveying approximately 6...

What Happened

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey–6 (NFHS-6) covering data collected in 2023–24, surveying approximately 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts.
The survey recorded improvements across maternal health, child immunisation, and nutrition indicators, while also flagging new challenges including rising caesarean section rates and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remained at 2.0, sustaining its position below the replacement level of 2.1, with the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate rising to 69.1%.
For the first time, NFHS-6 was conducted entirely by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) without USAID involvement.

Static Topic Bridges

National Family Health Survey (NFHS) — Survey Architecture

The NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round demographic and health survey conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with IIPS Mumbai serving as the nodal agency. It is India's principal source of state- and district-level evidence on population, health, nutrition, and family welfare, and it directly feeds into the framing of flagship schemes such as the National Health Mission (NHM).

NFHS-1 was conducted in 1992–93; NFHS-6 (2023–24) is the sixth round.
Surveys use four standardised questionnaires — household, women's, men's, and biomarker — administered through Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) in 19 languages.
Eligible respondents: all women aged 15–49 and men aged 15–54 in sampled households.
Key indicators: TFR, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), stunting, wasting, anaemia, full immunisation coverage, and institutional deliveries.

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 is the primary evidence base policymakers use to evaluate the National Health Mission's progress on maternal and child health targets, making its findings directly relevant to government accountability in GS Paper 2.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Demographic Transition

The TFR measures the average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime if age-specific fertility rates remained constant. A TFR of 2.1 is considered the replacement-level fertility — the rate at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next.

India's TFR fell from 2.2 (NFHS-4, 2015–16) to 2.0 (NFHS-5 and NFHS-6), confirming that India is now in the late stage of demographic transition.
Sub-replacement fertility has significant implications: a shrinking working-age population relative to dependents (both young and old), creating pressure on social security systems.
India's demographic dividend window — when the working-age proportion is highest — is projected to last until approximately 2040, after which the dependency ratio will begin rising again.

Connection to this news: NFHS-6 confirming TFR at 2.0 signals that population stabilisation is underway; however, simultaneous concerns about youth unemployment and future ageing-related fiscal pressures make demographic policy a prominent Mains theme.

Stunting, Wasting, and Child Undernutrition

Stunting (low height-for-age) reflects chronic, long-term undernutrition, while wasting (low weight-for-height) reflects acute undernutrition. These are key child development indicators tracked under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2 — Zero Hunger) and the Poshan Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission).

NFHS-6 recorded a 17% reduction in child stunting, bringing it down to 29.3%, a significant decline from 35.5% in NFHS-5.
Stunting is driven by inadequate dietary intake, poor sanitation, recurrent infections, and low maternal nutrition — all addressed under Poshan Abhiyan launched in 2018.
India's Poshan Tracker (formerly ICDS digital platform) monitors real-time nutrition data at the anganwadi level.

Connection to this news: The sharp improvement in stunting figures is a direct indicator of the effectiveness of the government's nutrition and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) interventions since NFHS-5.

Digital and Financial Inclusion Among Women

Women's access to the internet and banking is increasingly tracked in NFHS as a proxy for economic empowerment and agency. These indicators connect to schemes such as Jan Dhan Yojana, BharatNet, and PM Mahila Shakti Kendra.

Women who have ever used the internet grew from 33.3% (NFHS-5) to 64.3% (NFHS-6), nearly doubling over the survey cycle.
Women's bank account ownership reached 89.0%, reflecting the deep penetration of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).
Health insurance coverage among the surveyed population rose to 60.2%, partly attributable to Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

Connection to this news: These figures demonstrate convergence between financial inclusion programmes and health outcomes, a key argument in GS Paper 2 essays on social sector governance.

Key Facts & Data

Survey coverage: ~6.79 lakh households, 715 districts across India.
Institutional deliveries: increased from 88.6% to 90.6%.
Caesarean section rate: rose sharply from 21.5% to 27.2% — flagged as a concern.
Full immunisation coverage (12–23 months): increased from 83.8% to 87.1%.
Child stunting: declined to 29.3% (from 35.5% in NFHS-5) — a 17% reduction.
TFR: stable at 2.0, below replacement level of 2.1.
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR): rose from 66.7% to 69.1%.
Women's internet usage: grew from 33.3% to 64.3%.
Women's bank account ownership: 89.0%.
Health insurance coverage: 60.2%.
95.6% of vaccinated children used public health facilities for immunisation.
NFHS-6 was conducted solely by IIPS without USAID support — a first.