India's Anaemia Data Missing From Recent Surveys Despite High Prevalence Rates

Anaemia readings were omitted from the National Family Health Survey-6 fact sheets, leaving the country without updated baseline numbers to measure public health interventions.

Previous NFHS-5 data showed severe regional rates, including 71.4% among women aged 15 to 49 in West Bengal, where adolescent girls showed a 59.1% national prevalence compared to 31.1% for boys.

Experts suggest that systemic gender inequalities—such as unequal meal patterns, lack of rest, and domestic time burdens—drive the crisis beyond biological factors alone.