According to the Women and Child Development Ministry, malnutrition remains a significant issue among children in India. Recent data reveals that 17% of children aged 0-5 years are underweight, 36% are stunted, and 6% are wasted. These terms are critical indicators of malnutrition:
Stunted growth means children are too short for their age due to chronic malnutrition.
Wasted refers to children being too thin for their height, indicating acute malnutrition usually caused by severe and recent weight loss.
Underweight encompasses both stunting and wasting, reflecting either chronic or acute malnutrition, or both.
Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi shared these findings in response to a question in the Lok Sabha. The data comes from the Poshan Tracker for June 2024, which measured around 8.57 crore children under 6 years old. Out of these, 35% were stunted, 17% were underweight, and 6% of children under 5 years were wasted.
State-wise data paints a concerning picture. Uttar Pradesh has the highest stunting rate at 46.36%, followed closely by Lakshadweep at 46.31%. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh also show high stunting rates at 44.59% and 41.61%, respectively. Wasting, an indicator of acute malnutrition, is most severe in Lakshadweep, with 13.22% of children affected. Bihar and Gujarat also report high wasting rates at 9.81% and 9.16%, respectively. These high percentages indicate recent severe weight loss in children, typically due to inadequate food intake or illness.
In terms of underweight children, Madhya Pradesh leads with 26.21%, followed by Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu at 26.41%. These numbers highlight the urgent need for effective nutritional programs and interventions to address malnutrition and improve the health and well-being of children across India.