Growth Matters? Revisiting the Enigma of Child Undernutrition in India

Higher economic growth in the post-liberalization phase since the 1990s was expected to translate into rapid all-around improvements in the well-being of the population. A notable exception, however, is apparent in the form of a persistently high level of child undernutrition in the face of rapid economic growth in India. We examine this discordance using different waves of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data and find that economic growth has a more robust effect on child undernutrition during the period 2005–06 and 2015–16 than compared to earlier periods of 1992–93 and 2005–06. We argue that the quantum of growth is important for the effect to be felt on undernutrition, particularly on child stunting and underweight. We conclude that apart from relying on growth, direct investment in the health and nutrition sector should be an important priority for policymaking.