37.7% Anganwadi children stunted, 17.1% underweight: Govt data

According to the government’s Poshan Tracker data, 37.7% of children enrolled in Anganwadis are stunted, while 17.1% are underweight.

As of February, 8.8 crore children (0-6 years) were enrolled in Anganwadis, with 8.5 crore assessed for height and weight. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) shared this information in response to a Rajya Sabha query on malnutrition. Referring to data from Poshan Tracker and National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) 1 (1992-93) to 5 (2019-21), the ministry stated that malnutrition indicators have shown improvement across India.

Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, noted that in 2021, India’s projected population of children up to 5 years was 13.7 crore, while the 0-6 age group was estimated at 16.1 crore.


Of the 7.4 crore children under five registered in Anganwadis, 7.2 crore were measured for growth. The findings revealed that 39% were stunted, 16.6% underweight, and 5.3% wasted. In comparison, NFHS-5 (2019-21) reported stunting at 35.5%, underweight prevalence at 32.1%, and wasting at 19.3%.

The ministry emphasized that, unlike NFHS—which surveys around 6.1 lakh households every 5-6 years—the Poshan Tracker provides real-time nutritional data for approximately 8.5 crore children monthly, offering a more comprehensive insight into malnutrition trends.