Indian children healthier than ever, but other nations doing better: Data

Every year, India loses 500,000 children under the age of 2 due to diseases preventable by vaccines

India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) reduced by 16 points over the last ten years–41 children below the age of one died per 1,000 live births, down from 57 a decade ago, according to the India fact-sheet of the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4), the largest-ever assessment of India’s health and family welfare indicators.

The survey, released after a decade—the last survey was in 2005-06–reveals a 24-point reduction in India’s under-five mortality rate: From 74 children under five dying for every 1,000 live births in 2005-06, it is now 50–comparable to