How India Counts Itself
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.
Using NFHS data, a district learns it has high child stunting compared with neighbours, prompting a nutrition campaign.
Household surveys like NFHS capture health and living conditions.
- 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.
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