The recently released NFHS-5 findings reveal that the prevalence of anaemia has increased among children, women of all age groups including pregnant women, and men. This increase in prevalence was observed in almost all the states barring a few exceptions. However, there are questions over the cutoffs and how these might be resulting in over-diagnosis. Haemoglobin in the blood is necessary to carry oxygen to the tissues in the body. Anaemia is the condition in which the number of red blood cells or the concentration of haemoglobin within the blood cells is less than normal, which causes a decreased capacity of blood to carry oxygen in the body. As a result, the person experiences symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc. The required optimal concentration of haemoglobin in the blood varies with age, sex, altitude, pregnancy, and smoking behaviour. The common causes of the condition are nutritional deficiency such as deficiency of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin A, & folates, infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis & HIV, acquired disorders, and parasitic infections. Anaemia is a serious global public health problem Globally, anaemia is considered a serious global public health problem that particularly affects young children and pregnant women. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (aged 15−49 years) is calculated as the percentage of women in the said age group with a haemoglobin concentration less than 120 grams per Litre (g/L) or 12 grams per decilitre (g/dL) for non-pregnant and lactating women, and less than 110 g/L or 11 g/dL for pregnant women, adjusted for altitude and smoking. Similarly, the prevalence among children (aged 6 – 59 months) is calculated as percentage of children in the said age group with a haemoglobin concentration less than 110 g/L or 11 g/dL, adjusted for altitude. Prevalence of 40% and above is considered severe. WHO estimated that the prevalence of anaemia worldwide in 2019 was 39.8% among children aged 6 to 59 months and 36.5% among pregnant women. 29.9% of the women of reproductive age were anaemic in 2019. According to WHO’s dashboard, it is seen that the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age in India was 53% in 2019, the fifth-highest globally, after Yemen, Mali, Benin, and Nigeria. In the case of children (6 to 59 months), the prevalence in India was 53.4%. NFHS Survey records prevalence of anaemia The Union Health Ministry recently released the key findings of both the phases of the National Family Health Survey that was conducted between 2019 & 2021. This is the fifth edition of the NFHS covering 6.1 Lakh sample households across the country. The sample size for the survey varies from state to state because of the differences in population & age composition. The representative survey also records the prevalence of anaemia among men, women, and children by collecting blood samples of all men (15 to 54 years of age) and women (15 to 49 years of age) who voluntarily give consent to the testing. For children (6 to 59 months), parents or their guardians will have to give consent. The NFHS’s classification of anaemia is as follows: Those who are diagnosed with severe anaemia during testing are referred to local health facilities for assessment and treatment. The prevalence of anaemia among women and children has increased in the last five years At the national level, the findings of the NFHS-5 reveal that there has been an increase in the prevalence of anaemia among women and children compared to the previous NFHS-4 survey that was conducted in 2015-16, about 4 years ago. The increase in anaemia among pregnant women is by 1.8 percentage points, among all women in the reproductive age is 3.9 percentage points, and among adolescent women by 5 percentage points. Among children, the increase is the highest of 8.5 percentage points and is now closer to the levels recorded in NFHS-3 from 2005-06 when the prevalence was 70%. 8 out of 10 children in Gujarat are anaemic Among children aged 6 to 59 months, anaemia is the most prevalent in Gujarat among the larger states with nearly 80% of the children in the age group diagnosed with anaemia. The prevalence in Gujarat increased by 17.1 percentage points compared to 62.6% recorded in NFHS-4. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Telangana are the major large states with a prevalence of more than 70% among children. Kerala is the only state to have recorded a prevalence of less than 40% (39.4%), though it has registered an increase of 3.7 percentage points compared to NFHS-4.