Skip to content
Hunger · West Bengal

Child malnutrition in South Twenty Four Parganas

37%of children under five stunted (NFHS-5, 2019-21)Very high

South Twenty Four Parganas ranks 7th of 20 districts in West Bengal for child stunting, highest first, above West Bengal's 34%. It rose 9.4 points since NFHS-4.

21%children under 5 wasted
32%children under 5 underweight
70%children 6-59 months anaemic
28%children 6-23 months with an adequate diet

South Twenty Four Parganas against West Bengal and India

MeasureSouth Twenty Four ParganasNFHS-4West BengalIndia
Children under 5 stunted (too short for age)36.7%27.3%33.8%35.5%
Children under 5 wasted (too thin for height)21.2%20.1%20.3%19.3%
Children under 5 severely wasted11.8%5.9%7.1%7.7%
Children under 5 underweight32.2%27.8%32.2%32.1%
Children under 5 overweight7%0.6%4.3%3.4%
Children 6-59 months anaemic70.4%65.2%69%67.1%
Women 15-49 anaemic61.6%66.8%71.4%57%
Women 15-49 underweight (BMI under 18.5)9.9%18.8%14.8%18.7%
Children 6-23 months with an adequate diet27.6%24.8%23.4%11.3%
Babies under 6 months only breastfed73.5%–53.3%63.7%

Child stunting in West Bengal's districts

  1. 1Uttar Dinajpur45%
  2. 2Maldah41%
  3. 3Murshidabad40%
  4. 4Paschim Barddhaman40%
  5. 5Birbhum37%
  6. 6Puruliya37%
  7. 7South Twenty Four Parganas37%
  8. 8Darjeeling34%
  9. 9Purba Barddhaman33%
  10. 10North Twenty Four Parganas32%
  11. 11Dakshin Dinajpur32%
  12. 12Paschim Medinipur31%
  13. 13Bankura30%
  14. 14Kolkata30%
  15. 15Hugli29%
  16. 16Jalpaiguri29%
  17. 17Koch Bihar29%
  18. 18Haora28%
  19. 19Nadia26%
  20. 20Purba Medinipur26%

Frequently asked questions

What is the malnutrition rate in South Twenty Four Parganas?

In NFHS-5 (2019-21), 37% of children under five in South Twenty Four Parganas district were stunted, 21% wasted and 32% underweight. Stunting is above West Bengal's 34% and India's 36%.

Is child malnutrition falling in South Twenty Four Parganas?

Stunting in South Twenty Four Parganas rose from 27% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to 37% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), 9.4 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 South Twenty Four Parganas?

70% of children aged 6 to 59 months in South Twenty Four Parganas were anaemic in NFHS-5, which WHO counts as a severe public health problem. So were 62% of women aged 15 to 49.

Is there malnutrition data for my town or neighbourhood in South Twenty Four Parganas?

No survey publishes child nutrition below the district, so every town, village and neighbourhood in South Twenty Four Parganas 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 West Bengal.