How India's health profile has changed over the past four years, explained in 5 charts

India is in the midst of a complex healthcare transformation. Child marriage has declined over the years but is still prevalent with 20% of girls. Maternal health shows signs of improvement, but caesarean births have soared, driven by private facilities. Malnutrition remains critical, while lifestyle diseases such as obesity and diabetes are rapidly increasing. Immunization rates increased by 83%. These findings in the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), conducted in 2022-23, were released last week for all states and union territories, except Manipur, where the survey could not be conducted. Mint examines trends in detail.

Child marriage: High but low

Child marriage is a key factor in high fertility, poor maternal and child health, and women’s lower social status. The share of women aged 20-24, married before the age of 18, has decreased from 23% to 20% over the last four years. This also means that one in five girls is still married as a minor. Although the decline was recorded in rural and urban areas, disparities persist. While 11% of women aged 20–24 in urban areas were married before the age of 18, it was 23% in rural areas. West Bengal (36%) and Bihar (35%) reported the highest prevalence of girl marriages, followed by Tripura (34%), Jharkhand (28%), Assam (25%), Andhra Pradesh (25%) and Rajasthan (24%) – all above the national average.