Child Malnutrition and Minimum Dietary Diversity across Indian States: A Comparative Analysis

India, the most populous country in the world, faces a significant burden of child malnutrition. Despite economic progress, India continues to host one of the largest numbers of undernourished individuals globally. Approximately 12 per cent of the Indian population was undernourished in 2024. In the same year, 37.4 million children under five were stunted in India, and 18.7 per cent suffered from wasting, which is among the highest rates in the world. India faced the burden of child malnutrition, the highest in the world and is significantly higher than that of many sub-Saharan African countries. Malnutrition contributes significantly to the disease burden among children, with more than fifty percent of deaths among children under five in the world related to undernutrition, specifically in the low and middle-income countries, including India. Significant regional disparities in Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) were observed across India. MDD was associated with lower odds of wasting but showed a positive association with stunting, whereas its relationship with underweight was not statistically significant. Female children, higher household wealth, and maternal education significantly reduced the likelihood of child malnutrition, highlighting the importance of socioeconomic and educational factors in improving nutritional outcomes.

Adequate nutrition is the consumption and utilisation

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