NFHS-6 (2023-24): India Key Indicators & NFHS-5 Comparison
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 2023-24 is India's sixth and largest round of population, health and nutrition data, conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Below is a complete, indicator-by-indicator comparison of NFHS-6 against NFHS-5 (2019-21), with SRS vital rates and an analysis of what actually changed.
Fieldwork: two phases, 28 May 2023 – 31 December 2024 · 27 field agencies · First NFHS conducted by IIPS without external technical or financial support.
The headline shifts, NFHS-5 → NFHS-6
Vital rates — SRS (what NFHS doesn't measure)
NFHS-6 does not estimate infant or under-5 mortality in its fact sheet. For those, India's official source is the Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Registrar General of India. Current figures:
Full India key-indicator comparison
Every value is the India total (urban + rural). Teal marks an improvement, red a worsening, and grey a directionally neutral change. Percentage-point change shown on the right.
Population, Households & Living Standards
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population below age 5 years | 8.2 | 8.0 | ▼ -0.2 |
| Population below age 15 years | 26.5 | 25.5 | ▼ -1 |
| Population age 60 years and aboveIndia is ageing | 11.8 | 12.9 | ▲ +1.1 |
| Households with electricity | 96.8 | 98.3 | ▲ +1.5 |
| Improved drinking-water source | 95.9 | 96.5 | ▲ +0.6 |
| Any member with health insurance / financingLargest single gain | 41.0 | 60.2 | ▲ +19.2 |
| Any member with a bank / post-office account | 95.7 | 98.2 | ▲ +2.5 |
| Females age 6+ who ever attended school | 71.8 | 73.7 | ▲ +1.9 |
Education & Digital Access (age 15–49)
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women with 10+ years of schooling | 41.0 | 46.4 | ▲ +5.4 |
| Men with 10+ years of schooling | 50.2 | 54.6 | ▲ +4.4 |
| Women who have ever used the internetNearly doubled | 33.3 | 64.3 | ▲ +31 |
| Men who have ever used the internet | 51.2 | 80.5 | ▲ +29.3 |
Marriage & Fertility
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women 20–24 married before age 18 | 23.3 | 20.1 | ▼ -3.2 |
| Men 25–29 married before age 21 | 17.7 | 15.9 | ▼ -1.8 |
| Total Fertility Rate (children per woman)At replacement level | 2.0 | 2.0 | — 0 |
| Women 15–19 already mothers or pregnant | 6.8 | 6.7 | ▼ -0.1 |
Family Planning (currently married women 15–49)
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using any contraceptive method | 66.7 | 69.1 | ▲ +2.4 |
| Using any modern methodFell despite higher overall use | 56.4 | 52.7 | ▼ -3.7 |
| Using any traditional methodSharp rise | 10.3 | 16.4 | ▲ +6.1 |
| Female sterilisation | 37.9 | 36.5 | ▼ -1.4 |
| Total unmet need for family planning | 9.4 | 8.5 | ▼ -0.9 |
Maternal Health & Delivery Care
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antenatal check-up in first trimester | 70.0 | 76.2 | ▲ +6.2 |
| Mothers with any antenatal care visit | 92.6 | 95.9 | ▲ +3.3 |
| Mothers with 4+ antenatal care visits | 58.5 | 65.2 | ▲ +6.7 |
| Consumed iron-folic acid 100+ days | 44.1 | 54.9 | ▲ +10.8 |
| Institutional births | 88.6 | 90.6 | ▲ +2 |
| Institutional births in a public facilityShift toward private sector | 61.9 | 58.6 | ▼ -3.3 |
| Births delivered by caesarean sectionWell above WHO 10–15% norm | 21.5 | 27.2 | ▲ +5.7 |
| C-section in private health facilities | 47.4 | 54.1 | ▲ +6.7 |
| Postnatal care within 2 days (mother) | 78.0 | 82.8 | ▲ +4.8 |
Child Immunisation & Survival (age 12–23 months)
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fully vaccinated (card or recall) | 76.6 | 82.6 | ▲ +6 |
| First dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV) | 87.9 | 91.7 | ▲ +3.8 |
| Second dose MCV (age 24–35 months) | 58.6 | 71.8 | ▲ +13.2 |
| Hepatitis-B birth dose | 67.4 | 77.6 | ▲ +10.2 |
| 3 doses of rotavirus vaccineNational rollout impact | 36.4 | 85.4 | ▲ +49 |
| Vitamin-A dose in last 6 months (9–35 mo) | 71.2 | 74.6 | ▲ +3.4 |
Child Nutrition (under age 5)
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breastfed within one hour of birth | 41.8 | 50.1 | ▲ +8.3 |
| Exclusively breastfed (under 6 months)Declined | 63.7 | 55.8 | ▼ -7.9 |
| Adequate diet, 6–23 monthsStill very low | 11.0 | 15.3 | ▲ +4.3 |
| Stunted (low height-for-age)Biggest nutrition gain | 35.5 | 29.3 | ▼ -6.2 |
| Wasted (low weight-for-height) | 19.3 | 19.0 | ▼ -0.3 |
| Severely wasted | 7.7 | 5.2 | ▼ -2.5 |
| Underweight (low weight-for-age) | 32.1 | 31.8 | ▼ -0.3 |
| Overweight (high weight-for-height) | 3.4 | 1.3 | ▼ -2.1 |
Adult Nutrition & Non-Communicable Disease (15–49 / 15+)
The emerging story of NFHS-6: under-nutrition persists while obesity, high blood sugar and hypertension climb — India's double burden of malnutrition.
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women below normal BMI (<18.5) | 18.7 | 19.7 | ▲ +1 |
| Men below normal BMI (<18.5) | 16.2 | 19.7 | ▲ +3.5 |
| Women overweight or obese (BMI ≥25)Rising fast | 24.0 | 30.7 | ▲ +6.7 |
| Men overweight or obese (BMI ≥25)Rising fast | 22.9 | 27.3 | ▲ +4.4 |
| Women with high/very-high blood sugar*>140 mg/dl or on medicine | 13.5 | 17.8 | ▲ +4.3 |
| Men with high/very-high blood sugar*>140 mg/dl or on medicine | 15.6 | 20.9 | ▲ +5.3 |
| Women with elevated blood pressure** | 21.3 | 19.4 | ▼ -1.9 |
| Men with elevated blood pressure** | 24.0 | 22.1 | ▼ -1.9 |
Women's Empowerment & Gender
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participate in 3 key household decisions | 88.7 | 89.0 | ▲ +0.3 |
| Worked in last 12 months & paid in cash | 25.4 | 30.8 | ▲ +5.4 |
| Have a bank account they themselves use | 78.6 | 89.0 | ▲ +10.4 |
| Have a mobile phone they themselves use | 53.9 | 63.6 | ▲ +9.7 |
| Young women using hygienic menstrual protection | 77.6 | 79.2 | ▲ +1.6 |
| Ever experienced spousal violence (18–49)Notable decline | 29.2 | 22.3 | ▼ -6.9 |
Tobacco & Alcohol (age 15+)
| Indicator (%) | NFHS-5 2019-21 | NFHS-6 2023-24 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women who use any kind of tobacco | 8.9 | 8.4 | ▼ -0.5 |
| Men who use any kind of tobacco | 38.0 | 36.3 | ▼ -1.7 |
| Women who consume alcohol | 1.3 | 1.1 | ▼ -0.2 |
| Men who consume alcohol | 18.7 | 18.9 | ▲ +0.2 |
* Blood sugar: high or very high (>140 mg/dl) or taking medicine to control blood sugar (random measurement). ** Blood pressure: elevated (Systolic ≥140 and/or Diastolic ≥90 mm Hg) or taking medicine.
What NFHS-6 tells us — analysis
Fertility has settled at replacement, and India is ageing
India's Total Fertility Rate held steady at 2.0 — unchanged from NFHS-5 and at or below the replacement level of 2.1. Urban TFR is 1.6, rural 2.1. Child marriage continued to fall (women married before 18: 23.3% → 20.1%), while the share of the population aged 60+ rose from 11.8% to 12.9%. The demographic transition is essentially complete; the policy frontier is now ageing, not population growth.
A digital and financial-inclusion leap
The fastest-moving indicators are not clinical at all. Women who have ever used the internet jumped from 33.3% to 64.3%, women with a bank account they use from 78.6% to 89.0%, and any household with health insurance from 41.0% to 60.2% — the single biggest gain in the survey, driven by Ayushman Bharat and state insurance schemes. These shifts reshape how health services are paid for and accessed.
Maternal care is up — but the caesarean surge is the story
Antenatal care improved across the board (4+ visits: 58.5% → 65.2%; first-trimester check-ups: 70% → 76.2%), and institutional births rose to 90.6%. But caesarean sections climbed from 21.5% to 27.2%, more than double the WHO-recommended 10–15%. In private facilities, 54.1% of births are now caesarean. Deliveries are also shifting from public (61.9% → 58.6%) to private hospitals.
Immunisation is the clearest public-health win
Full immunisation of 12–23-month-olds rose from 76.6% to 82.6%. The rotavirus vaccine — newly scaled nationally — went from 36.4% to 85.4%, and the second measles dose from 58.6% to 71.8%. This is the most unambiguous improvement in NFHS-6.
The double burden: stunting falls, obesity and diabetes rise
Child stunting dropped sharply from 35.5% to 29.3%, severe wasting from 7.7% to 5.2% — real progress on under-nutrition. Yet at the same time adult obesity rose (women 24% → 30.7%; men 22.9% → 27.3%) and high blood sugar climbed (women 13.5% → 17.8%; men 15.6% → 20.9%). India now carries both malnutrition and a fast-growing non-communicable-disease load simultaneously — the defining tension of NFHS-6. One caution: exclusive breastfeeding fell (63.7% → 55.8%).
The contraception paradox
Overall contraceptive use rose (66.7% → 69.1%) and unmet need fell — but use of modern methods actually declined (56.4% → 52.7%) while traditional methods jumped (10.3% → 16.4%). More couples are spacing births, but a growing share rely on less-effective methods, which has implications for unintended pregnancies.
NFHS-6 — frequently asked questions
What is NFHS-6?
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 2023-24 is the sixth round of India's largest household survey on population, health and nutrition. It provides national, state/UT and district-level estimates on 101 key indicators and was conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
When was NFHS-6 released?
The NFHS-6 (2023-24) fact sheets were released in May 2026. Fieldwork ran in two phases between 28 May 2023 and 31 December 2024 across 27 field agencies.
What is the sample size of NFHS-6?
NFHS-6 gathered information from 679,238 households, 716,397 women (age 15-49) and 100,977 men (age 15-54). It covered every Indian state and Union Territory except Manipur.
What is India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in NFHS-6?
India's TFR in NFHS-6 (2023-24) is 2.0 children per woman — the same as NFHS-5 and at the replacement level of 2.1 or below. Urban TFR is 1.6 and rural is 2.1.
How is NFHS-6 different from NFHS-5?
NFHS-6 keeps comparability with NFHS-5 but adds new topics such as Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) and Self-Help Group coverage, digital literacy, and expanded clinical testing including HIV. It is also the first NFHS conducted by IIPS without external technical or financial support.
What are the biggest changes from NFHS-5 to NFHS-6?
Health-insurance coverage jumped from 41% to 60%, women's internet use from 33% to 64%, child stunting fell from 35.5% to 29.3%, and rotavirus vaccination rose from 36% to 85%. At the same time, caesarean births (21.5% to 27.2%), adult obesity and high blood sugar all increased.
Sources & notes
NFHS-6 and NFHS-5 values are from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), 2023-24: India and State/UT Fact Sheets, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India (released May 2026). All figures are India totals. Vital rates (IMR, under-5 and neonatal mortality, birth and death rates) are from the Sample Registration System (SRS), Registrar General of India. Results in the NFHS-6 fact sheets are provisional. This page is an independent analysis for transparency and education and is not medical advice.