NFHS-6 shows gains in maternal, child health as institutional deliveries cross 90%

ANC coverage rises to 95.9%, child stunting falls sharply, while health insurance coverage expands to 60.2% of households

India has recorded significant improvements in maternal and child health, nutrition and healthcare access, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday.

The latest survey, conducted during 2023-24 and covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, shows institutional deliveries have risen to 90.6%, antenatal care coverage has reached 95.9%, and full immunisation among children aged 12-23 months has increased to 87.1%.

The findings provide one of the most comprehensive assessments of India’s health and family welfare indicators and will guide policy planning and programme implementation at the district level.

Maternal health indicators improve

NFHS-6 reports broad gains in maternal healthcare utilisation, suggesting improved access to services during pregnancy and childbirth.

The proportion of pregnant women receiving antenatal care (ANC) increased from 92.6% in NFHS-5 to 95.9% in NFHS-6. Early registration also improved, with women receiving ANC during the first trimester rising from 70% to 76.2%.

Continuity of care strengthened as well. The share of mothers receiving at least four ANC visits increased from 58.5% to 65.2%.

Institutional deliveries rose from 88.6% to 90.6%, while births attended by skilled health personnel increased from 89.4% to 91.3%. Postnatal care for newborns within two days of delivery improved from 79.1% to 85.3%.

Maternal nutrition indicators also showed notable gains. Women consuming iron and 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% to 37.8%.

According to the Ministry, these improvements reflect the implementation of programmes such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY 2.0).

Fertility remains stable, contraceptive use rises

India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remained unchanged at 2.0, indicating continued population stabilisation.

At the same time, the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) increased from 66.7% to 69.1%, pointing to greater uptake of family planning services.

The survey attributes these gains to continued implementation of national family planning initiatives, including Mission Parivar Vikas.

Immunisation coverage strengthens

Childhood vaccination coverage continued to improve between the two survey rounds.

Full immunisation among children aged 12-23 months increased from 83.8% to 87.1%. More than 95% of children received most vaccinations through public health facilities, underscoring the central role of the public healthcare system in vaccine delivery.

The proportion of children receiving any vaccine remained consistently above 96%.

One of the most notable gains was seen in rotavirus vaccination coverage, which more than doubled from 36.4% to 85.4%. Coverage of the second dose of the measles-containing vaccine increased from 58.6% to 71.8%.

The survey also recorded improvements in child health outcomes. Symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children declined from 2.8% to 1.9%, while severe diarrhoea prevalence fell to 0.5%.

The Ministry linked these gains to the Universal Immunization Programme, frontline health worker outreach, strengthened cold-chain infrastructure and digital tracking systems such as U-WIN.

Child nutrition indicators show progress

NFHS-6 recorded substantial improvements in several key child nutrition indicators, an area that has remained a major public health priority.

Stunting among children under five years declined from 35.5% to 29.3%, a reduction of nearly 17%. Severe wasting fell from 7.7% to 5.2%, representing a decline of about 32%.

Underweight prevalence among children under five showed a marginal improvement, decreasing from 32.1% to 31.8%.

Breastfeeding indicators also improved. Nearly 95.6% of children below six months were breastfed during the survey period. The proportion of children breastfed within one hour of birth increased from 41.8% to 50.1%.

Complementary feeding practices improved as well. Children aged 6-8 months receiving solid or semi-solid food along with breastmilk increased from 45.9% to 59.5%.

The survey attributes these improvements to programmes including POSHAN Abhiyaan, Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and interventions under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Financial protection expands

The survey found a sharp increase in health insurance and healthcare financing coverage.

The proportion of households covered by a health insurance or financing scheme rose from 41% in NFHS-5 to 60.2% in NFHS-6.

The Ministry said flagship initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) have contributed to expanding financial protection and improving access to healthcare services, particularly among vulnerable populations.

Health insurance coverage is a key component of universal health coverage because it helps reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure and improves access to treatment.

Women report greater digital and financial inclusion

NFHS-6 also recorded improvements in women’s access to financial and digital resources.

The proportion of women who had ever used the internet nearly doubled from 33.3% to 64.3%.

Women operating their own bank or savings accounts increased from 78.6% to 89%, while those using their own mobile phones rose from 53.9% to 63.6%.

Menstrual hygiene practices showed modest improvement. The use of hygienic methods of menstrual protection among women aged 15-24 years increased from 77.6% to 79.2%.

The Ministry attributed the increase to initiatives such as the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme under the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) and the availability of affordable sanitary products through the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.

Challenges remain

While the survey documents progress across multiple indicators, the Ministry noted that emerging health challenges require continued attention.

These include the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, lifestyle-related risk factors and the coexistence of undernutrition and increasing overweight and obesity among adults.

NFHS-6 concludes that India has made steady progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while highlighting the need for continued investments in preventive healthcare, behavioural change and nutrition interventions to sustain these gains.