The National Institute of Child Health Research (NICHR) is an institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Situated in New Delhi, the institute has been established through the restructuring of the former ICMR-National Institute of Pathology (NIP), which has served the country for over four decades.
ICMR-NICHR is dedicated to improving the health, development, and well-being of children across India, from conception to adolescence, by conducting high-quality research and translating scientific evidence into policies, programs, and practices. In a country with one of the world's largest child populations and a rapidly evolving child health landscape, the institute aims to serve as a national platform for child health research and evidence generation.
India has made substantial progress in child survival over the past three decades. According to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) 2025 report, India's under-five mortality rate declined by 79% between 1990 and 2024, exceeding the global decline of 60%. In addition, 12 States and Union Territories have already achieved the SDG 2030 target for under-five mortality, and 6 have achieved the neonatal mortality target.
India's progress is reflected in the latest national data. The Sample Registration System 2024 reports the neonatal mortality rate at 18 per 1,000 live births and the infant mortality rate at 24, both continuing a steady downward trajectory, though infant mortality remains notably higher in rural areas. The National Family Health Survey 2023-24 (NFHS-6) shows that child stunting has declined substantially from 35.5% to 29.3%, and severe wasting has fallen from 7.7% to 5.2%. At the same time, wasting among children under five remains at 19%, exclusive breastfeeding rates have declined from 63.7% to 55.8%, and the coexistence of childhood undernutrition with rising adult overweight and obesity signals an emerging double burden of malnutrition that demands new research approaches.
Other priorities are also emerging. These include the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, the growth and development consequences of preterm and low-birth-weight (LBW) infants, rising rates of childhood and adolescent obesity, and increasing mental health issues among young people. Addressing these challenges requires not only improved services and clinical interventions but also high-quality epidemiological, translational, clinical, and community-based research to inform national policy and practice.
Building on a long legacy of excellence in biomedical sciences, ICMR-NICHR has been established as India's dedicated research centre for child health. The institute brings together clinical, epidemiological, and translational expertise to generate evidence that shapes child health policy and practice across India.