NFHS-6 Headline Findings: Institutional Births at 90.6%, Women's Internet Use Doubles to 64.3%
NFHS-6 (2023-24) released on 29 May 2026 shows institutional deliveries at 90.6 per cent (up from 88.6), women's internet use doubling to 64.3 per cent, and a rise in lifestyle diseases. The survey covers 6.79 lakh households in 715 districts.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) on 29 May 2026. Covering 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, the survey for 2023-24 is the sixth in the series and confirms steady gains in maternal health, women's empowerment and digital access, alongside a fresh warning on the rise of lifestyle diseases.
Institutional deliveries — births in a licensed healthcare facility — rose to 90.6 per cent in 2023-24 from 88.6 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21). Deliveries attended by skilled health personnel went up from 89.4 per cent to 91.3 per cent and postnatal care within 48 hours improved to 82.8 per cent. Antenatal coverage was 95.9 per cent and the share of women receiving antenatal care in the first trimester rose from 70 per cent to 76.2 per cent. However, the share of births in public facilities slipped from 61.9 per cent to 58.6 per cent, indicating a steady shift to private healthcare.
Digital and financial inclusion saw the sharpest gains. The share of women who had ever used the internet rose from 33.3 per cent to 64.3 per cent — a near-doubling in just two years. Women with a bank or savings account climbed from 78.6 per cent to 89 per cent, and personal mobile ownership rose from 53.9 per cent to 63.6 per cent. Use of hygienic menstrual protection methods among 15-24-year-olds inched up to 79.2 per cent from 77.6 per cent, supported by the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme and Jan Aushadhi-priced products.
On the other side, NFHS-6 records a steady rise in lifestyle-disease indicators — overweight and obesity, high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar — across both sexes and across rural and urban India. Together with the maternal and child health gains, the data signal that India's public health system must now expand from a narrowly maternal-and-infant focus to a wider non-communicable disease (NCD) agenda even as it consolidates the gains already made on the older fronts.
Key Points to Remember
- NFHS-6 (2023-24) released on 29 May 2026; covers 6.79 lakh households, 715 districts
- Institutional deliveries: 90.6% (up from 88.6% in NFHS-5)
- Skilled birth attendance: 91.3%; antenatal care: 95.9%
- Public-facility births fell from 61.9% to 58.6% (shift to private)
- Women's ever-internet use: 33.3% → 64.3%; bank account: 78.6% → 89%
- Lifestyle-disease indicators (obesity, BP, blood sugar) rising in both rural and urban
Exam Relevance
Relevant for UPSC Prelims (Schemes & Surveys — NFHS-6), Mains (GS-II Health, Women's Empowerment), SSC General Awareness, State PCS.
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