MANGALURU: As of June 2025, 5.46% of children under five in India were found to be wasted (low weight for height), and 15.93% were underweight (low weight for age), according to the latest Poshan Tracker data. Among children aged 0–6 years, 16.50% were recorded as underweight, indicating that malnutrition continues to pose a significant public health challenge across the country.
The figures expose stark disparities among states. Bihar reported 20.98% underweight and 9.31% wasting rates, among the highest in India, followed closely by Madhya Pradesh (24.82% underweight, 8.19% wasting) and Jharkhand (19.13% underweight, 6.68% wasting). Other high-burden states include Tripura, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, with underweight prevalence ranging from 17% to nearly 20%. In the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, wasting reached 11.62%—the highest in the country—while 22.54% of children there were underweight.
Despite a national push to improve nutrition through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, the data reveals uneven outcomes. Many states, particularly in central and eastern India, continue to grapple with persistently high malnutrition rates. However, there are clear examples of improvement and effective intervention.
Some states have managed to keep both wasting and underweight figures impressively low. Goa reported only 0.78% wasting and 1.96% underweight children. Sikkim (1.95% wasting, 1.69% underweight), Manipur (0.67%, 2.69%), and Himachal Pradesh (2.41%, 6.88%) also performed strongly.
Southern states showed moderate success, though with some variations. Tamil Nadu emerged as a top performer in the region, with 3.54% wasting and 6.29% underweight, well below national averages. Kerala reported similarly low wasting (3.20%) but had a higher proportion of underweight children (10.18%). Karnataka’s data showed 3.18% wasting, but a relatively high 16.50% underweight.
Andhra Pradesh reported 4.97% wasting and 7.68% underweight, while Telangana lagged slightly behind, with 5.93% wasting and 17.00% underweight. These figures suggest that while southern states have managed to contain acute malnutrition to an extent, chronic undernutrition remains a concern, particularly in Karnataka and Telangana.
According to data presented in the Lok Sabha, the government's nutrition monitoring system has evolved significantly with the implementation of the Poshan Tracker, launched in March 2021. The tool captures real-time data on growth metrics, daily attendance at Anganwadi centres, and distribution of supplementary nutrition. The integration of facial recognition for Take-Home Ration (THR) distribution and the introduction of dashboard analytics have further improved targeting and transparency.
Compared to NFHS-5 (2019–21), which reported 32.1% underweight and 19.3% wasting among children under five, the current data reflects progress. However, the gap between the projected population of children under six (16.1 crore) and those enrolled in Anganwadi services (8.61 crore) signals the need for expanded coverage and deeper outreach.