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Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Kerala

23%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)High

Kerala ranks 32nd of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 20%, in villages 26%.

16%children under 5 wasted
20%children under 5 underweight
39%children 6-59 months anaemic
24%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Kerala in NFHS-5, town and village

MeasureKeralaUrbanRuralNFHS-4India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)23.4%20.1%26.4%19.7%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)15.8%16%15.5%15.7%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted5.8%7%4.6%6.5%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight19.7%19.4%19.9%16.1%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight4%3.8%4.2%3.4%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic39.4%38.9%39.8%35.7%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic36.3%37%35.8%34.3%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)10.1%9.7%10.4%9.7%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet23.5%21.5%25.4%21.4%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed55.5%50.3%59.5%53.3%63.7%

Child stunting by district in Kerala

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

  1. 1Wayanad31%
  2. 2Palakkad30%
  3. 3Malappuram29%
  4. 4Kasaragod25%
  5. 5Idukki24%
  6. 6Kottayam23%
  7. 7Pathanamthitta23%
  8. 8Ernakulam22%
  9. 9Thrissur22%
  10. 10Kozhikode21%
  11. 11Alappuzha20%
  12. 12Thiruvananthapuram20%
  13. 13Kannur19%
  14. 14Kollam16%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Kerala?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 23% of children under five in Kerala were stunted, 16% wasted and 20% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Kerala?

Stunting rose from 20% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 23% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 3.7 points.

Which district of Kerala has the most malnutrition?

Wayanad had the highest share of stunted children in NFHS-5, 31%, and Kollam the lowest, 16%.

How many children are anaemic in Kerala?

39% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Kerala were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a moderate public health problem. So were 36% 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