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More women in India are opting for institutional deliveries over home births than ever before, with a growing number choosing private facilities over government ones, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) released on Friday.

A nurse at the Noida district hospital in Sector 39 (HT Photo/Sunil Ghosh)The report, which captures data between 2023 and 2024, shows that institutional deliveries in the country rose to 90.6%, up from 88.6% recorded during the previous NFHS-5 cycle (2019-2021). But there is a shifting preference toward private healthcare, with the share of births in public health facilities dropping from 61.9% in NFHS-5 to 58.6% in NFHS-6.

The NFHS series provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India. The NFHS-6 (2023-2024) is the sixth in the series.

Institutional deliveries refer to the process of giving birth in a licensed healthcare facility under the supervision of professionals.

Along with the rise in hospital births, the survey reported an increase in percentage of deliveries attended by skilled health personnel from 89.4% to 91.3%.

“Coverage of postnatal care within 48 hours after delivery has also improved to 82.8%, strengthening continuity of care for both mothers and newborns,” the NFHS-6 report said.

Experts said the rise in institutional births has a direct bearing on the decline in the country’s maternal mortality rate.

“These improvements are also reflected in India’s continued progress in reducing maternal mortality, with the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) 2022–24 estimates placing the national Maternal Mortality Ratio at 87 per lakh live births,” an Union health ministry official said.

The senior government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, suggested that the empanelment of numerous private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY) health insurance scheme may have a role to play in this transition. “Many private hospitals are empanelled under AB-PMJAY, which may have a role to play,” the official said.

The latest NFHS-6 findings also highlight that first trimester antenatal registration increased from 70% to 76.2%, while mothers receiving four or more antenatal care visits increased significantly from 58.5% to 65.2%.

More than 95.9% pregnant women are now receiving antenatal care services, reflecting expanding outreach and stronger frontline systems, according to the health ministry.

The official said said these gains reflect the Government of India’s sustained investments under flagship initiatives such as Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY).

“The contribution of ASHAs, ANMs, nurses, midwives, and frontline workers has been central in improving overall maternal healthcare utilization across rural, tribal, and underserved geographies,” the officia, quoted above, said.

“India is increasingly leveraging digital innovation to strengthen maternal healthcare delivery, beneficiary tracking, and continuity of care across the country. Platforms such as PMSMA portal, Kilkari, and the recently launched Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care (JANANI) are enabling real-time tracking of pregnancies, early identification of high-risk pregnancies, referral linkages, and data-driven decision-making. The growing use of digital platforms under the National Health Mission reflects India’s broader vision of combining technology, frontline healthcare delivery, and community outreach to ensure that no mother or newborn is left behind,” the official added.

The NFHS-6 report also flags a worrying health challenge: a sharp spike in lifestyle-related diseases, particularly obesity.

Data show blood sugar levels among adults — 15 years and above — have seen an increase with people in the very high category increasing from 6.3% in the 2019-2021 survey to 9.1% in the current survey, and the high category jumping from 6.1% to 7.5 per cent.

The percentage of overweight or obese women also has seen a jump from 24% earlier to 30.7%. Among men, the figures are 22.9% and 27.3% respectively.

“Preventing lifestyle-related diseases is one of the government’s focus areas. Several programmes are focussing on tackling this issue,” the official said.

Rhythma Kaul works as an assistant editor at Hindustan Times. She covers health and related topics, including ministry of health and family welfare, government of India.