Over 90% of Indian babies born in hospitals, 87% of one-year-olds fully vaccinated: NFHS-6

India has made significant progress in maternal and child health, with improvements in immunization and hospital births and declines in stunting and severe wasting among young children, according to the National Family Health Survey-6, for which fieldwork was conducted in 2023 and 2024. Image is for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Department of Health released the survey data on Friday (May 29, 2026). Institutional deliveries were shown to have increased from 88.6% in the previous round of NFHS conducted between 2019 and 2021 to 90.6% this time. Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months increased from 83.8% to 87.1%, while 95.6% of infants under six months were breastfed during the study period.

The survey, which is the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, noted an improvement in children’s health indicators. Stunting among children under five decreased from 35.5% to 29.3%, severe wasting decreased from 7.7% to 5.2%, and the percentage of underweight children in this age group decreased slightly from 32.1% to 31.8%. Symptoms of acute respiratory infection in children fell from 2.8% to 1.9%, while the prevalence of severe diarrhea also fell to 0.5%.

The survey identified the rise of non-communicable diseases, lifestyle-related risks and the double burden of malnutrition and rising obesity among adults as persistent health challenges.

A sharp increase in the rate of caesarean section

Cesarean births have also increased sharply from 21.5% to 27.2% in India, with rates substantially higher in several states and private health facilities.

The proportion of cesarean sections in urban areas was 40%. This rate far exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) optimal threshold of 10-15%.

Private hospitals and urban centers consistently reach these disproportionately high numbers.

Advances in Maternal Health

India’s total fertility rate held steady at 2.0 in 2023-24, just below the recovery threshold of 2.1%, while the contraceptive prevalence rate rose from 66.7% to 69.1%.

The survey highlights progress in maternal health services across the country, with 95.9% of pregnant women receiving antenatal care, including 76.2% in the first trimester, up from 70% in the previous survey period. The number of mothers who received at least four antenatal care visits also increased from 58.5% to 65.2%.

Maternal nutrition indicators also showed improvement, rising from 44.1% to 54.9% for mothers who consumed folic acid supplements for 100 days or more during pregnancy, while mothers who consumed supplements for 180 days or more rose from 26% to 37.8%.

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The goal is universal immunization

The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Health together with the International Institute for Population Sciences, documented progress towards universal vaccination.

According to vaccination records, full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months increased from 83.8% to 87.1%, with 95.6% of children receiving most vaccinations through public health facilities. Among the main vaccines, rotavirus coverage increased substantially, from 36.4% to 85.4%. Coverage with the second dose of measles-containing vaccines also increased significantly from 58.6% to 71.8%.

Health insurance coverage is increasing

It found that the use of sanitary methods of menstrual protection among women aged 15-24 increased from 77.6% to 79.2%. Coverage by health insurance or a financing system increased significantly from 41% to 60.2% at the household level. The percentage of women who used the internet almost doubled from 33.3% to 64.3%, while women with a bank or savings account they use themselves rose from 78.6% to 89%, and women with a mobile phone they use themselves rose from 53.9% to 63.6%.

NFHS-6 fieldwork for was conducted in two phases, the first from 28 May 2023 to 26 February 2024 and the second from 7 February 2024 to 31 December 2024. A total of 27 field agencies collected information from nearly 6.79 million households in 715 districts.

The survey provides important data on population, health, nutrition and family indicators. This round includes several new topics, including coverage of direct bank transfers and self-help groups, as well as digital literacy and financial transactions.

Published – 29 May 2026 20:49 IST