Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India

India: Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts was 60.6% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
60.6%
World rank
16th
of 96 countries
All-time high
60.6%
in 2021
All-time low
13.0%
in 1989
Years of data
9
1986–2021

Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India, 1986–2021

1020304050601986200320211986: 21 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1987: 23 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1989: 13 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1993: 17.5 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet1999: 26.8 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2006: 26 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2014: 39.3 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2016: 50.6 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet2021: 60.6 % of children under 5 who received ORS packet

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5 who received ORS packet.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India is 60.6%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of up 54.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India peaked at 60.6% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 1989.

That places India 16th out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 19.0% 13.0% 23.0% 3
1990s 22.1% 17.5% 26.8% 2
2000s 26.0% 26.0% 26.0% 1
2010s 45.0% 39.3% 50.6% 2
2020s 60.6% 60.6% 60.6% 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 13 Mexico 61.4% compare
  2. 14 Iran 61.4% compare
  3. 15 Kiribati 61.3% compare
  4. 17 Nepal 59.5% compare
  5. 18 Oman 58.7% compare
  6. 19 Samoa 58.6% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India?
Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts in India was 60.6% in 2021, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 60.6% in 2021.
What is the lowest share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 1989.
How does India rank for share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts?
India ranks 16th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
Is share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 54.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children with diarrhea receiving oral rehydration salts
Unit
% of children under 5 who received ORS packet
Source
Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 780 data points, 1985–2021
Last refreshed

The share of children under five years old with diarrhea, in the two weeks prior to the survey, who received oral rehydration salts.