Skip to content
Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Himachal Pradesh

31%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)Very high

Himachal Pradesh ranks 21st of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 27%, in villages 31%.

17%children under 5 wasted
26%children under 5 underweight
55%children 6-59 months anaemic
19%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Himachal Pradesh in NFHS-5, town and village

MeasureHimachal PradeshUrbanRuralNFHS-4India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)30.8%27%31.3%26.3%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)17.4%16.2%17.6%13.7%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted6.9%6.3%7%3.9%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight25.5%24.6%25.6%21.2%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight5.7%5.4%5.7%1.9%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic55.4%58.2%55%53.7%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic53%51%53.3%53.5%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)13.9%9.8%14.5%16.2%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet19%14.4%19.7%10.9%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed69.9%–71.3%67.2%63.7%

Child stunting by district in Himachal Pradesh

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

  1. 1Chamba43%
  2. 2Bilaspur40%
  3. 3Kullu36%
  4. 4Solan32%
  5. 5Kinnaur32%
  6. 6Mandi31%
  7. 7Sirmaur29%
  8. 8Lahul and Spiti29%
  9. 9Kangra28%
  10. 10Hamirpur27%
  11. 11Shimla27%
  12. 12Una25%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Himachal Pradesh?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 31% of children under five in Himachal Pradesh were stunted, 17% wasted and 26% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Himachal Pradesh?

Stunting rose from 26% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 31% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 4.5 points.

Which district of Himachal Pradesh has the most malnutrition?

Chamba had the highest share of stunted children in NFHS-5, 43%, and Una the lowest, 25%.

How many children are anaemic in Himachal Pradesh?

55% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Himachal Pradesh were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 53% 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