A particular Indian state is witnessing a concerning prevalence of stunted growth among children, with rates as high as 68.12%. The primary cause, as indicated by the June 2025 Poshan Tracker data, is often chronic or recurrent malnutrition, which significantly impairs children’s growth. An analysis of parliamentary documents highlights that this issue is most pronounced in 63 districts spanning 13 states and union territories.
The districts most affected by stunting, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s June 2025 Poshan Tracker, 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 leads in the number of districts with stunting rates above 50%, totaling 34 districts, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Assam. The Ministry of Women and Child Development revealed that 35.91% of the 8.19 crore children aged 0-6 years enrolled in Anganwadis suffer from stunting, with 16.5% being underweight. The situation is even more critical for children under five, with a stunting prevalence of 37.07%.
Nandurbar in Maharashtra shows the highest rate of underweight children at 48.26%. Other affected districts include 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.
Malnutrition, particularly long-term or recurring, is identified as the key factor behind the high rates of stunted growth in children, based on the June 2025 data from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. While the national average of stunting has decreased from 42.4% to 29.4% over 19 years, some districts continue to show alarmingly high rates. This data is sourced from the Poshan Tracker, a system maintained by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, which monitors children’s nutrition and development.