Research desk · Updated 30 September 2026
School Health Statistics India 2026: Key Figures on Child Health
A source-linked reading list for principals and school health teams. Survey populations and dates matter: a preschool survey is not a school survey, and a local study is not a national estimate. These figures describe the year of the cited research, not new measurements made in 2026.
Myopia and vision
A 2020 review of Indian schoolchildren reported pooled myopia prevalence of about 8%. Results varied by age, location and testing method; this is a synthesis of studies, not a 2026 national census.
Source: Indian schoolchildren refractive error and myopia systematic review (2020)
Anaemia and nutrition
67.1% of children aged 6–59 months were anaemic in NFHS-5. This measures preschool-age children, not schoolchildren.
Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2019–21)
59.1% of girls aged 15–19 were anaemic in NFHS-5. The figure is for all surveyed adolescent girls, not only those enrolled in school.
Source: National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2019–21)
Obesity and underweight
CNNS reported roughly one in four adolescents aged 10–19 as thin and around one in twenty as overweight or obese. Both undernutrition and excess weight matter; these are survey-era estimates rather than a 2026 rate.
Dental caries
Untreated dental caries remains a significant child-health concern worldwide. The WHO global report is not an India school-caries prevalence survey, so no national school percentage is claimed here.
Mental health
NMHS reported a mental disorder prevalence of 7.3% among adolescents aged 13–17 in its surveyed states. This is an older survey estimate, not a 2026 all-India school prevalence rate.
Source: National Mental Health Survey (NMHS), NIMHANS / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2015–16)
NCRB's ADSI 2022 recorded 13,044 suicide deaths in the occupation category ‘student’. This includes students beyond school age and is not a measure of mental-health prevalence or a school-specific rate.
Source: Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India (ADSI), National Crime Records Bureau (2022)
Physical activity
WHO's 2022 India profile reports roughly three in four adolescents aged 11–17 as insufficiently active against its 60-minutes-per-day benchmark. This estimate is not a measure of time spent in school PE.
School health infrastructure
UDISE+ 2023–24 reports school infrastructure indicators nationally. Its published headline tables do not establish a comparable national percentage of schools with a staffed medical room or counsellor, so we do not invent one. Schools can audit those two facilities locally using the checklist alongside this page.
Plan screening for your school
Explore the Student Health Checkup programme, or ask our team about your campus.