Anaemia in Under-Fives: India's 67% Problem, Explained for Parents
NFHS-5 found 67.1% of Indian under-fives are anaemic, up from 58.6%. Most of it is iron deficiency — and your kitchen is where to start.
Anaemia in Under-Fives: India's 67% Problem, Explained for Parents
Of all the child-health numbers in India's latest national survey, this is the one that startled experts most. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21), 67.1% of children aged 6 to 59 months are anaemic — up sharply from 58.6% in NFHS-4 (2015-16). Two out of three young children. If your child is one of them, you are very far from alone, and the good news is that the most common cause is also the most fixable.
What anaemia is, in plain language
Anaemia means the blood is low on healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin — the part that carries oxygen around the body. For young children, the WHO threshold is a haemoglobin level below 11 g/dL. In India, the leading cause by far is iron deficiency.
Why are toddlers so vulnerable? They grow astonishingly fast, their iron needs are high, and after six months breast milk alone no longer meets those needs. A diet heavy on milk and refined grains — lots of dudh and biscuits, little else — is a classic setup for low iron.
Signs worth noticing
Anaemia is often silent, which is part of why the rate is so high. But you might notice:
- Unusual tiredness, less playfulness
- Pale skin, inner eyelids or nailbeds
- Poor appetite or slow weight gain
- Frequent infections
- In some children, eating non-food things like mud or chalk
None of these confirm anaemia on their own — only a blood test does — but they are good reasons to check.
Building iron into everyday meals
This is where you have real power. Iron-rich, affordable Indian foods include:
- Dals and pulses — moong, masoor, chana
- Green leafy vegetables — palak, methi, chaulai
- Ragi (nachni) — a wonderful first grain, far richer in iron than rice
- Egg yolk, and for non-vegetarian families, chicken and liver
- Jaggery (gur) in place of sugar, and dry fruits like dates, mashed for little ones
Two simple tricks double the benefit:
- Add vitamin C. A squeeze of lemon on dal, or fruit like guava, amla or orange alongside a meal, helps the body absorb iron far better.
- Keep tea away from meals. The tannins in chai block iron absorption, so young children especially should not be given tea.
Testing and the help already available
India runs a national programme, Anaemia Mukt Bharat, which provides iron supplements and twice-yearly deworming for young children through ASHA workers and anganwadi centres — worth asking about at your next visit. Deworming matters because worm infections are a common hidden cause of anaemia.
A simple blood test — often around ₹100-150 at a local lab — is the only way to know for sure. If it comes back low, iron can be corrected, but the dose and form should always be decided by your child's doctor, never guessed at home, because too much iron is harmful.
If your little one seems constantly tired, pale or off their food, ask your paediatrician for a haemoglobin check. It is a small pinprick that can make a big difference to how your child grows, learns and plays.