Child Food Deficiency in India: Socio-demographic and Regional Patterns

Abstract Childhood food deficiency, defined as children’s limited access to a diverse diet in early life, remains a critical issue in India. Using the latest Demographic and Health Survey of India— 2019–2021 National Family Health Survey data (NFHS-5), this paper provides new insights on socio-demographic and regional disparities in dietary diversity failure among children aged 6–23 months. The study employs multivariate analyses to evaluate the influence of key child and maternal characteristics, along with broader household and macro-level factors, on childhood food deficiency in India. Results show that two in five children faced severe food deficiency, consuming only one or two food groups, with most consuming breastmilk and dairy or grains. There were significant state-level variations for all eight food groups. Food deficiency was more widespread among children of mothers with no schooling, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh religious backgrounds and from poor households. Further analysis of interaction effects between urban-rural residence, wealth quintiles, and maternal education reveals that even among the wealthiest rural households, food deficiency remains high, underscoring persistent structural vulnerabilities. Maternal education emerges as a critical mitigating factor, with children of mothers with higher education experiencing significantly lower probabilities of food deficiency across all wealth quintiles. These findings emphasize the compounded role of economic and educational disparities in shaping child food security. The findings reinforce the need for context-specific planning and targeted interventions, and underscore the urgency of addressing childhood food deficiency in India.