In 2019-21, 36.8% of Muslim children under five were stunted, too short for their age from chronic undernutrition, just above Hindus at 35.5% and the national 35.5%. It is a striking counterpoint to infant mortality, where Muslim children do better: they are more likely to survive infancy, yet slightly more likely to grow up stunted.
How to read the chart
The chart compares the share of under-five children who are stunted across communities for 2019-21, the latest National Family Health Survey; here lower is better. Stunting builds up over the whole of early childhood rather than at a single moment, so it shifts slowly.
Why it matters
Stunting in the first years is largely irreversible and predicts weaker school performance, lower adult earnings and poorer health for life. It is one of the clearest early signs of how poverty passes to the next generation.
Status
Behind
Muslim 36.8% vs Hindu 35.5% in 2020, 1.3pp behind. The Muslim figure sits just above the Hindu one, but both are far above the levels seen for Christian, Sikh and Jain children, a sign that this is a poverty gap more than a community one.
Deeper analysis
Potential drivers
Poverty · Stunting tracks household poverty closely, and Muslims are over-represented among the poor and the urban informal workforce ↗ Sachar Committee Report, 2006.
Maternal health · An undernourished, anaemic mother bears a child who starts growth behind, and these conditions run high in poorer homes ↗ NFHS-5 India report, 2019-21.
Diet quality · Tight budgets mean less diverse, protein-poor diets in the first two years, exactly when stunting sets in ↗ NFHS-5 India report, 2019-21.
Key levers
The first 1,000 days · Stunting is prevented from pregnancy to age two; the Anganwadi and ICDS nutrition system is the main public instrument.
Maternal nutrition · Treating anaemia and undernutrition in mothers protects the child's early growth ↗ NFHS-5 India report, 2019-21.
Reach poor urban Muslims · Target the dense, informal-work neighbourhoods where Muslim children and nutrition services are most mismatched ↗ Sachar Committee Report, 2006.
Key stakeholders
Ministry of Women and Child Development: The Union ministry that runs Poshan Abhiyaan and the Anganwadi and ICDS system, India's main effort to cut stunting and undernutrition in young children, pregnant women and mothers.
National Health Mission: The Government of India's flagship health programme, covering maternal, newborn and child health services across rural and urban India.
Aga Khan Health Services, India: The Aga Khan network's Indian health arm, whose child-health work includes infant-feeding and nutrition programmes. Founded by the Ismaili community, it serves all communities.
The Antara Foundation: An NGO that strengthens India's frontline nutrition system, supporting Anganwadi and ASHA workers to improve maternal and under-five nutrition.
Doctors For YouGiveIndia vetted ↗: A humanitarian health NGO whose work includes treatment of severe acute malnutrition in children, alongside rural maternal and child health. Donate ↗
UNICEF India: The UN Children's Fund's India office, which works with states on child nutrition, survival and immunisation.
Badges link to an independent or registered credential where the organisation publishes one (Credibility Alliance, GiveIndia, 80G, FCRA). Many smaller NGOs do not take part in these registries, so a missing badge is not a mark against an organisation.
About this measurement
Definition. Percentage of children under age 5 classified as stunted (height-for-age more than 2 SD below the WHO Child Growth Standards median). Stunting indicates chronic malnutrition in early life.
Methodology. NFHS-5 (2019-21) Table 10.1 (Nutritional status of children by background characteristics). Religion column = % below -2 SD HFA; all-India value is the sample-size-weighted average of the 6 religion rows (reproduces the published national rate of 35.5%). Single round in canonical for now; NFHS-2/3/4 extension possible (same pattern as IMR / inst-delivery / anaemia trend extractors).