India's health check

NFHS points to new demographic challenges

Premium

According to Oxfam, nine out of 10 people in underdeveloped countries will miss out on a vaccine in 2021. Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg

Business Standard Editorial Comment

3 min read Last Updated : Nov 25 2021 | 10:53 PM IST

The fifth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) offers clues to the future direction of policy-making that, if read correctly, could help India maximise a shortening window of demographic opportunity that is open to it. The headline finding — that for the first time the proportion of women exceeded men at 1,020 against 1,000 —is heartening, not least because it reverses and improves on previous trends. In the 2005-06 NFHS, the ratio had been at parity before declining sharply to 991:1,000 in the 2015-16 NFHS, a period that saw India grow more prosperous. The marginal improvement in the

Topics : NFHS National Family Health Survey Business Standard Editorial Comment

What you get on BS Premium?

Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
Pick your favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
Preferential invites to Business Standard events.
Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

VIEW ALL FAQs

Need More Information - write to us at assist@bsmail.in