Some of the missing health indicators found in a recently released fact sheet of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 are the result of the government’s efforts toward data harmonization, according to people familiar with the matter.
The factsheets are designed to present the key findings most relevant to policy while supporting efforts to simplify reporting across India’s growing network of specialized surveys and administrative databases, they said.
Regarding reports of the absence of certain indicators, a senior official in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said: “The goal is to ensure that each indicator is reported through the most appropriate and reliable source, reduce duplication and improve overall data coherence.”
“The evolution of the NBS reporting framework reflects the increasing maturity of India’s statistical architecture, where multiple specialized surveys and administrative databases are increasingly integrating with each other to provide a more comprehensive, accurate and policy-relevant picture of the country’s development journey,” the official added.
The official also said that many of the indicators mentioned as missing from the fact sheets are already being monitored through dedicated national systems. For example, coverage of sanitation and clean cooking fuels is tracked through specialized surveys and administrative platforms such as Swachh Survekshan Grameen and Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation surveys, making duplication of fact sheets unnecessary.
Likewise, key statistics on deaths, birth registration, and population characteristics continue to be produced through well-established systems such as the Sample Registration System (SRS), the Civil Registration System (CRS), and the Census Framework, which remain the country’s designated sources for these indicators.
Regarding anemia estimates, the official said hemoglobin testing was not performed in NFHS-6 due to concerns surrounding the capillary blood sampling methodology used in previous rounds. Instead, anemia prevalence estimates will be drawn from the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Diet and Biomarkers Survey, which uses standard venous blood sampling methods to improve accuracy and reliability.
“Apart from narrowing the scope of the survey, the NFHS-6 has introduced several new indicators in the fact sheets, including demographics, share of elderly population, financial inclusion, antenatal care utilization, vaccination coverage, prevalence of severe diarrheal diseases, and expansion of breastfeeding indicators,” the official said. “The release of the NFHS-6 fact sheets marks an important milestone in India’s evolving health and statistical ecosystem, highlighting key gains in health, nutrition and population indicators while enhancing the government’s broader efforts to harmonize national data systems,” the official added.
Officials at the Ministry of Health also said that the fact sheets are only the first stage of publication and should not be viewed as the comprehensive national report NFHS-6, which will be released later with a much broader scope of indicators, detailed analyzes and methodological documents.
“It will be presented in more detail in the full national report, including precise family planning indicators, selected child health interventions, and other aspects of women’s health and HIV-related outcomes. The National Health Statistics Survey remains the largest and most comprehensive family health survey in India, and continues to serve as a cornerstone of evidence-based policy making,” the above-mentioned official said.
The official stated that the final national report is being prepared in consultation with technical experts, relevant ministries and development partners before its issuance.
“The NFHS questionnaire undergoes periodic revision to reflect emerging policy priorities while maintaining survey quality and reducing respondent burden. This improvement is a universally accepted practice adopted by major household surveys around the world,” the official said.
“The fact sheets are the first phase of dissemination. The detailed national report will provide a much broader picture. The focus of the Sixth National Health Security Framework remains unchanged – providing high-quality evidence to support better health outcomes and informed policy making,” the official added.
