A concerning situation exists in India, where a significant number of children are experiencing stunted growth. In one state, 68.12% of children are affected. Data from the June 2025 Poshan Tracker indicates that chronic or repeated malnutrition is the primary cause of stunting, which has a detrimental impact on children’s development. Analysis of parliamentary documents shows that the issue is most prevalent in 63 districts across 13 states and union territories.
According to the June 2025 Poshan Tracker data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the most affected districts are Nandurbar in Maharashtra (68.12%), Paschim Singhbhum in Jharkhand (66.27%), Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh (59.48%), Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh (58.20%), and Bongaigaon in Assam (54.76%).
Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of districts with over 50% stunting, with 34 districts affected. Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Assam also show elevated rates. The Ministry of Women and Child Development reported that 35.91% of 8.19 crore children aged 0-6 years in Anganwadis are stunted, and 16.5% are underweight. The rate of stunting is even higher for children under five, reaching 37.07%.
Nandurbar in Maharashtra has the highest rate of underweight children, with 48.26%. Other districts with high rates of underweight children are Dhar (42%), Khargone (36.19%), and Barwani (36.04%) in Madhya Pradesh, Dang (37.20%) and Dungarpur (35.04%) in Gujarat, and Sukma (34.76%) in Chhattisgarh.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s June 2025 data highlights that malnutrition, particularly long-term or recurring instances, is a key contributor to stunted growth. Although the average rate of stunting in India has declined from 42.4% to 29.4% in the past 19 years, some districts continue to have significantly high rates. This information is obtained from the Poshan Tracker, which is used by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to monitor children’s nutritional health and development.