Book Chapter
Changing Pattern of Undernutrition in India

This chapter analyses the changes in prevalence of under-nourishment between the 1980s and 1990s at the national and sub-national levels in India, focusing on the rural-urban comparisons. There has been an apparent increase in the prevalence of under-nourishment over time in rural India, while in urban areas, the prevalence has remained unchanged, or has declined. Also, over time, average intakes in urban areas have surpassed those in rural India in most states. At the same time, there appears to be a decline in the within-state inequalities in energy intakes between 1983 and 1993/94, but an increase (especially in urban areas) between 1993/94 and 1999/2000.