The National Family Health Survey

How the National Family Health Survey measures health, nutrition, fertility and household conditions across India's districts, and why its data are so widely used.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is one of India’s most important data sources.

What it covers

Fertility and family planning.
Child nutrition: stunting, wasting and anaemia.
Maternal and child health.
Household conditions: toilets, water, cooking fuel and electricity.
Women’s empowerment and domestic violence.

Rounds

NFHS-1 (1992-93) to NFHS-5 (2019-21).
NFHS-5 surveyed over 6 lakh households with district-level estimates.

Key NFHS-5 findings

India’s total fertility rate fell to 2.0, below replacement level.
Stunting among children fell but remained around 35 percent.
Anaemia rose among women and children.

Part of global DHS

NFHS is part of the international Demographic and Health Surveys programme, allowing comparisons with other countries.

Controversy

Some officials questioned the anaemia measurement method, and the director of the institute running the survey was suspended in 2023, raising concerns about data independence.

The district ranking

Using NFHS data, a district learns it has high child stunting compared with neighbours, prompting a nutrition campaign.

Thinking health data only come from hospitals

Household surveys like NFHS capture health and living conditions.

Key takeaways

NFHS measures fertility, nutrition, health and household conditions.
NFHS-5 (2019-21) covered over 6 lakh households.
India's fertility rate fell to 2.0.
Stunting fell but anaemia rose.