Skip to content
Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Goa

26%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)High

Goa ranks 28th of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 24%, in villages 28%.

19%children under 5 wasted
24%children under 5 underweight
53%children 6-59 months anaemic
22%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Goa in NFHS-5, town and village

MeasureGoaUrbanRuralNFHS-4India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)25.8%24.3%28.2%20.1%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)19.1%17.7%21.5%21.9%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted7.5%6.4%9.4%9.5%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight24%22.5%26.6%23.8%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight2.8%2.2%3.6%3.7%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic53.2%53.3%53.1%48.3%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic39%40%37.4%31.3%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)13.8%13.1%15%14.7%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet21.5%21.1%22.2%10.4%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed61.4%––60.9%63.7%

Child stunting by district in Goa

Children under five too short for their age, NFHS-5 district factsheets (2019-21).

  1. 1South Goa28%
  2. 2North Goa24%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Goa?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 26% of children under five in Goa were stunted, 19% wasted and 24% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Goa?

Stunting rose from 20% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 26% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 5.7 points.

Which district of Goa has the most malnutrition?

South Goa had the highest share of stunted children in NFHS-5, 28%, and North Goa the lowest, 24%.

How many children are anaemic in Goa?

53% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Goa were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 39% of women aged 15 to 49.

Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, IIPS and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; districts from NFHS-5 district factsheets, tabulated by pratapvardhan/NFHS-5 (CC BY 4.0).

Malnutrition in other states