Progress and Substantial State-Level Disparities in Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in India: A Secondary Analysis of NFHS-5 and NFHS-6 Data

ABSTRACT Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a major public health and human rights concern. Evidence comparing the prevalence of IPV between National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) and the recently released NFHS-6 remains limited. This study compared the prevalence of physical and/or sexual spousal violence between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6 and examined state- and union territory-level disparities. Materials and Methods: A descriptive secondary analysis was conducted using publicly available aggregate data from the India and state/union territory fact sheets of NFHS-5 (2019–2021) and NFHS-6 (2023–2024). National and state-/union territory-level prevalence of physical and/or sexual spousal violence among ever-married women aged 18–49 years was compared, and absolute percentage-point changes were calculated. Results: The national prevalence declined from 29.2% in NFHS-5 to 22.3% in NFHS-6, an absolute reduction of 6.9 percentage points. Karnataka recorded the largest decline (−30.3 percentage points), followed by Assam (−16.0) and Delhi (−10.2). In contrast, Kerala (+7.9), Tamil Nadu (+2.6), Telangana (+0.6), and Rajasthan (+0.1) showed increases in percentage points. Bihar (36.1%), Telangana (30.8%), Tamil Nadu (28.5%), Uttar Pradesh (28.5%), and Jharkhand (27.0%) had the highest prevalence in NFHS-6. Conclusions: Although India experienced a substantial decline in physical and/or sexual spousal violence between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6, considerable state- and union territory-level disparities were observed. Targeted, context-specific interventions are needed to reduce the burden in high-prevalence regions.