Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Puducherry

20%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)High

Puducherry ranks 36th of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 22%, in villages 16%.

12%children under 5 wasted

15%children under 5 underweight

64%children 6-59 months anaemic

23%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Puducherry in NFHS-5, town and village

Measure	Puducherry	Urban	Rural	NFHS-4	India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)	20%	21.7%	15.6%	23.7%	35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)	12.4%	12.1%	12.9%	23.6%	19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted	3.7%	4.2%	2.5%	7.8%	7.7%
Children under 5 underweight	15.3%	15.9%	13.7%	22%	32.1%
Children under 5 overweight	3.8%	2.7%	6.5%	2.2%	3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic	64%	65.3%	60.8%	44.9%	67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic	55.1%	52.3%	61.4%	52.4%	57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)	9%	7.6%	12%	11.3%	18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet	22.9%	20.6%	31.9%	31.1%	11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed	64.8%	71.4%	–	45.5%	63.7%

Child stunting by district in Puducherry

NFHS-5 surveyed all 4 districts of Puducherry, 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 Puducherry?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 20% of children under five in Puducherry were stunted, 12% wasted and 15% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Puducherry?

Stunting fell from 24% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 20% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 3.7 points.

Which district of Puducherry has the most malnutrition?

NFHS-5 measured every district, but Puducherry'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 Puducherry?

64% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Puducherry 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.