India leads globally with 18.7 per cent of children under five wasted in 2024, over 21 million affected
About 37 million children under five in India are stunted, indicating chronic undernutrition problems
Over half of Indian women aged 15-49 suffer anaemia, reaching 53.7 per cent in 2023, 203 million total
Despite gains, 12 per cent of Indians were undernourished in 2024; 42.9 per cent cannot afford healthy diets
As much as 18.7 per cent of Indian children under the age of five suffered from wasting in 2024, the highest rate in the world, according to the United Nations’ 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report released on July 28.
This means more than 21 million Indian children had low weight for height, often caused by inadequate quantity or quality of food or frequent illness. Wasting is an important and urgent marker of undernourshment.
Equally alarming was the data on child stunting, which refers to low height for age and reflects chronic undernutrition. The report found that 37.4 million children under five were stunted in India.
Another area of concern was the prevalence of anaemia among women (15-49 years of age), as the report found that more than half of Indian women now suffer from anaemia, which has been rising steadily, growing from 50.1 per cent in 2012 to 53.7 per cent in 2023.
The absolute numbers are staggering: 203 million women in India were anaemic in 2023, up from 164 million a decade earlier. Among all Asian countries, India had the highest prevalence, and globally, it ranked fourth — only behind the African nations of Gabon, Mali and Mauritania.
The persistently high numbers point to entrenched problems of poverty and inequality, limited access to nutritious food, education and health services, particularly among marginalised communities. Nutrition indicators for children from India’s own data from NFHS-5 (2019-21) show stunting at 35.5 per cent and wasting at 19.3 per cent.
This is despite the significant reduction in the number of undernourished people in India since 2006, the report showed. More than 172 million people in India were undernourished in 2024, much lower that the 243 million in 2006.
India continues to have the largest number of undernourished people globally — largely due to the size of its population, according to the analysis. In percentage terms, undernourishment affected approximately 12 per cent of the Indian population in 2024, as per the report.
Globally, India ranked 48th out of 204 countries assessed for undernourishment. But within Asia, it had the seventh-highest proportion of undernourished people, following the Syrian Arab Republic, Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Pakistan, Iraq and Jordan.
Undernourishment is defined in the report as the share of people whose regular food intake fails to provide the necessary energy levels for a healthy and active life. It's a crucial indicator in tracking food insecurity.
Affordability is at the heart of the crisis, with rising prices making healthy eating a luxury for nearly half of India’s population. In 2024, 42.9 per cent of India's population could not afford a healthy diet. The report noted a steady rise in the cost of a healthy diet in India — from $2.77 PPP (in purchasing power parity) per person per day in 2017 to $4.07 in 2024.
The SOFI report is an annual report prepared by five UN agencies — Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme), and WHO (World Health Organization (WFP). It presents the latest data and analysis on hunger, food security and nutrition worldwide, including updated estimates on the cost and affordability of healthy diets.
The indicators for child and women nutrition were even more concerning for India.
In stark contrast to the high levels of undernutrition, the number of overweight individuals in India has also surged, highlighting the country’s growing double burden of malnutrition.
Between 2012 and 2024, the number of overweight children under five rose from 2.7 million to 4.2 million, while the adult obese population more than doubled in a decade, increasing from 33.6 million to a staggering 71.4 million.
Globally, there was a modest improvement in hunger — from 8.5 per cent in 2023 to 8.2 per cent in 2024. Hunger levels declined in south-eastern Asia, southern Asia and south America, the report noted.
UN attributed part of the global progress to updated data from India. But it also revealed that India continued to record some of the highest rates of child stunting and anaemia among women — figures that may partly reflect more recent data, unlike in many other countries where such updates may not have been reported.
FInal summary: In 2024, India faced severe nutrition challenges: 18.7 per cent of children under five suffered wasting, and 37 million were stunted. In 2023, over half of women aged 15-49 were anaemic, totaling 203 million. Despite progress, 12 per cent of Indians were undernourished, and 42.9 per cent couldn’t afford healthy diets. Rising obesity further reflected India’s growing dual burden of malnutrition, amid increasing food costs.