Skip to content
Hunger · Karnataka

Child malnutrition in Shimoga

29%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)High

Shimoga ranks 23rd of 30 districts in Karnataka for child stunting, highest first, below Karnataka's 35%. It fell 6.3 points since NFHS-4.

23%children under 5 wasted
34%children under 5 underweight
69%children 6-59 months anaemic
19%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Shimoga against Karnataka and India

MeasureShimogaNFHS-4KarnatakaIndia
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)29%35.3%35.4%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)23.2%14.3%19.5%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted13.5%2.7%8.4%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight34.4%30.6%32.9%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight6%0.6%3.2%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic68.9%53.8%65.5%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic41.9%48.6%47.8%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)15%22.6%17.2%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet18.5%5.1%12.8%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed46.3%–61%63.7%

Child stunting in Karnataka's districts

  1. 1Yadgir58%
  2. 2Koppal49%
  3. 3Bagalkot48%
  4. 4Bijapur46%
  5. 5Dharwad45%
  6. 6Gadag45%
  7. 7Tumkur40%
  8. 8Raichur40%
  9. 9Davanagere38%
  10. 10Bidar37%
  11. 11Bangalore Rural37%
  12. 12Bellary36%
  13. 13Chitradurga36%
  14. 14Gulbarga35%
  15. 15Belgaum33%
  16. 16Chamarajanagar32%
  17. 17Bangalore31%
  18. 18Chikkaballapura31%
  19. 19Kolar31%
  20. 20Kodagu30%
  21. 21Haveri30%
  22. 22Uttara Kannada30%
  23. 23Shimoga29%
  24. 24Mysore28%
  25. 25Chikmagalur27%
  26. 26Hassan27%
  27. 27Dakshina Kannada25%
  28. 28Mandya24%
  29. 29Udupi23%
  30. 30Ramanagara16%

Water in Shimoga

Groundwater, rain and the water table shape what farms in Shimoga can grow and what families can drink.

Groundwater in ShimogaRainfall in ShimogaWater table in Shimoga

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Shimoga?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 29% of children under five in Shimoga district were stunted, 23% wasted and 34% underweight. Stunting is below Karnataka's 35% and India's 36%.

Is child malnutrition falling in Shimoga?

Stunting in Shimoga fell from 35% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 29% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 6.3 points. District estimates come from a few hundred children each, so a change of a few points can be chance.

How many children are anaemic in Shimoga?

69% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Shimoga were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 42% of women aged 15 to 49.

Is there malnutrition data for my town or neighbourhood in Shimoga?

No survey publishes child nutrition below the district, so every town, village and neighbourhood in Shimoga shares these figures. The local anganwadi keeps growth records for the children it serves.

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