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Hunger · India

Child malnutrition in Telangana

33%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)Very high

Telangana ranks 13th of 36 states and union territories for child stunting, highest first; India's figure is 36%. In towns it is 28%, in villages 36%.

22%children under 5 wasted
32%children under 5 underweight
70%children 6-59 months anaemic
9.2%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

Telangana in NFHS-5, town and village

MeasureTelanganaUrbanRuralNFHS-4India
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)33.1%28.1%35.7%28%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)21.7%20%22.6%18.1%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted8.5%9.2%8.2%4.8%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight31.8%25.8%35%28.4%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight3.4%4.2%3%0.7%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic70%64.7%72.8%60.7%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic57.6%55.2%58.9%56.6%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)18.8%13.5%21.6%22.9%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet9.2%8.4%9.7%10.1%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed68.2%59.1%73.4%67%63.7%

Child stunting by district in Telangana

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

  1. 1Jogulamba Gadwal50%
  2. 2Adilabad46%
  3. 3Mahabubnagar43%
  4. 4Wanaparthy40%
  5. 5Yadadri Bhuvanagiri38%
  6. 6Komaram Bheem Asifabad38%
  7. 7Ranga Reddy38%
  8. 8Medak36%
  9. 9Warangal Rural36%
  10. 10Nagarkurnool35%
  11. 11Jangoan33%
  12. 12Kamareddy33%
  13. 13Medchal-Malkajgiri33%
  14. 14Mahabubabad33%
  15. 15Sangareddy33%
  16. 16Jayashankar Bhupalapally33%
  17. 17Vikarabad32%
  18. 18Nalgonda32%
  19. 19Nirmal32%
  20. 20Nizamabad31%
  21. 21Hyderabad30%
  22. 22Karimnagar30%
  23. 23Jagitial30%
  24. 24Warangal Urban30%
  25. 25Suryapet29%
  26. 26Bhadradri Kothagudem28%
  27. 27Siddipet28%
  28. 28Peddapalli28%
  29. 29Mancherial26%
  30. 30Rajanna Sircilla22%
  31. 31Khammam22%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in Telangana?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 33% of children under five in Telangana were stunted, 22% wasted and 32% underweight, against 36%, 19% and 32% for India.

Is malnutrition falling in Telangana?

Stunting rose from 28% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 33% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 5.1 points.

Which district of Telangana has the most malnutrition?

Jogulamba Gadwal had the highest share of stunted children in NFHS-5, 50%, and Khammam the lowest, 22%.

How many children are anaemic in Telangana?

70% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Telangana were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 58% 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