Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh

36%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)Very high

Madhya Pradesh ranks 7th of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 30%, in villages 37%.

19%children under 5 wasted

33%children under 5 underweight

73%children 6-59 months anaemic

9.2%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Madhya Pradesh in NFHS-5, town and village

Measure	Madhya Pradesh	Urban	Rural	NFHS-4	India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)	35.7%	30.1%	37.3%	42%	35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)	19%	19.9%	18.7%	25.8%	19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted	6.5%	7%	6.3%	9.2%	7.7%
Children under 5 underweight	33%	28.6%	34.2%	42.8%	32.1%
Children under 5 overweight	2%	1.8%	2.1%	1.7%	3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic	72.7%	72.5%	72.7%	68.9%	67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic	54.7%	51.5%	55.8%	52.5%	57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)	23%	17.1%	25.2%	28.4%	18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet	9.2%	10.6%	8.7%	6.6%	11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed	74%	68.8%	75.2%	58.2%	63.7%

Child stunting by district in Madhya Pradesh

NFHS-5 surveyed all 56 districts of Madhya Pradesh, but their factsheets are not yet in the open tabulation these pages read, so the figures above, for the state as a whole, are the closest available for any district or city in it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Madhya Pradesh?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 36% of children under five in Madhya Pradesh were stunted, 19% wasted and 33% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Madhya Pradesh?

Stunting fell from 42% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 36% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 6.3 points.

Which district of Madhya Pradesh has the most malnutrition?

NFHS-5 measured every district, but Madhya Pradesh's district factsheets have not been tabulated in the open dataset these pages use yet, so this page shows the state's figures, the nearest level available.

How many children are anaemic in Madhya Pradesh?

73% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Madhya Pradesh were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 55% of women aged 15 to 49.

Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019-21, IIPS and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.