Published Oct 15, 2026 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 7:06 AM
All five major southern States exceed the national averages of 17.8 percent for women and 20.9 percent for men.
Synopsis: Kerala’s Kottayam district recorded the highest proportion of women with high or very high blood sugar, or taking medication to control it, in South India, while Kannur had the highest rate among men, according to NFHS-6 data. All five major southern states recorded proportions above the national averages for both women and men, with sharp differences between districts. The indicator rose in 112 of 117 comparable districts among women and 108 among men.
Kottayam district in Kerala recorded high or very high blood sugar, or the use of medication to control it, in 35.2 per cent of women, the highest proportion among districts in South India, according to district-level findings from the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6).
Among men, Kannur district in Kerala recorded the region’s highest rate, at 36 per cent, followed by Bengaluru Rural in Karnataka, at 35.2 per cent.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district in Telangana recorded the lowest proportions, at 12.2 per cent among women and 17.4 per cent among men, highlighting sharp differences in the burden of high blood sugar across South India.
The figures show substantial variations across districts, with some recording considerably higher proportions than their respective state and national averages.
In Karnataka’s Bengaluru Rural district, the proportion of men falling under the blood sugar indicator rose by 17.5 percentage points since NFHS-5, while Dakshina Kannada recorded the largest increase among women, at 12.8 percentage points.
As South First previously reported, Kerala has the country’s highest proportion of women falling under this blood sugar indicator, while Goa leads among men. The district-level data offer a closer look at where the burden is concentrated and how it has changed across South India.
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Kerala’s state average is already high, but several of its districts record rates well above 30 percent.
Kottayam has the highest rate among women at 35.2 percent, followed by Pathanamthitta at 33 percent and Alappuzha at 32.5 percent. Thiruvananthapuram records 31.7 percent, while Ernakulam stands at 31.5 percent.
Among men, Kannur records 36 percent, the highest district-level figure in the southern states. Ernakulam follows at 33.3 percent, Pathanamthitta at 33.2 percent and Kottayam at 32.9 percent.
The change from NFHS-5 is also significant. Alappuzha’s women’s figure rose from 25.2 percent to 32.5 percent, while Ernakulam’s men’s figure increased from 25.5 percent to 33.3 percent. Kannur’s men’s rate climbed from 25 percent to 36 percent.
Pathanamthitta’s figures are particularly revealing. About 33 percent of women and 33.2 percent of men fall under the blood sugar indicator, even though the district’s men’s rate was slightly lower than its NFHS-5 figure of 34.7 percent.
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At the national level, 17.8 percent of women and 20.9 percent of men fall under the NFHS-6 blood sugar indicator. These figures include people with blood sugar above 140 mg/dl as well as those taking medication to control it.
Kerala stands far above the national average.
The state records 28.9 percent among women and 31.9 percent among men. For women, that is the highest state-level figure in the country. Goa follows at 27.5 percent among women, while Puducherry records 26.7 percent. Tamil Nadu is at 25.2 percent, and Maharashtra at 24.9 percent.
Among men, Goa leads the country at 32.1 percent, followed by Kerala at 31.9 percent, Puducherry at 28.8 percent, Tamil Nadu at 26.7 percent and Karnataka at 26.1 percent.
Puducherry and Lakshadweep are Union Territories, so the rankings need to be read separately when referring specifically to states.
The larger point, however, is clear. Kerala’s position is not merely a South India story. It is a national story. It has the highest proportion of women under the NFHS-6 blood sugar indicator among states, while Goa has the highest proportion among men.
At the same time, South India’s broader pattern remains striking. Kerala records 28.9 percent among women and 31.9 percent among men, Tamil Nadu 25.2 percent and 26.7 percent, Karnataka 22.3 percent and 26.1 percent, Andhra Pradesh 21.8 percent and 24.1 percent, and Telangana 19.6 percent and 24.5 percent. All five major southern states are above India’s corresponding averages for both women and men.
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Karnataka’s blood sugar indicator increased from 14 percent to 22.3 percent among women and from 15.6 percent to 26.1 percent among men between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6. That represents an 8.3 percentage-point rise among women and a 10.5-point rise among men.
At the district level, Dakshina Kannada records 28.2 percent among women and 30.5 percent among men. Tumakuru is at 27.6 percent and 31.3 percent, while Bengaluru Urban records 27.5 percent and 30.1 percent.
Bengaluru Rural is particularly striking. The district records 26.3 percent among women and 35.2 percent among men. Its men’s figure has increased by 17.5 percentage points from NFHS-5, the largest district-level increase among men in the southern states.
Chitradurga and Mysuru also recorded 16.7-point increases among men, reaching 31.1 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively.
The Karnataka story is therefore not simply about Bengaluru. Some of the sharpest increases have occurred outside the state’s largest urban centre.
Telangana’s state-level figure is 19.6 percent among women and 24.5 percent among men, up from 14.7 percent and 18.1 percent respectively in NFHS-5.
Hyderabad records the state’s highest rate among women at 27.5 percent, while 30.2 percent of men fall under the indicator.
But once again, the problem extends beyond the capital.
Suryapet records 25.4 percent among women and 28.8 percent among men. Hanumakonda stands at 25 percent and 30.8 percent, while Jangaon records 23.4 percent and 24.1 percent.
Hanumakonda’s men’s figure increased from 19 percent to 30.8 percent, while Mahabubabad’s rose from 16.5 percent to 28.3 percent. Jangaon’s women’s figure climbed from 14.4 percent to 23.4 percent.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad recorded 12.2 percent among women and 17.4 percent among men.
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Tamil Nadu is another state where the blood sugar numbers are substantially above the national average.
The state records 25.2 percent among women and 26.7 percent among men, compared with India’s 17.8 percent and 20.9 percent.
Kanniyakumari records 30.3 percent among women and 34.3 percent among men. Chennai is at 29 percent among women and 28.9 percent among men.
Perambalur records 28.8 percent among women and 32.8 percent among men, while Sivaganga records 28.8 percent and 32.1 percent.
The changes are also notable. Kanniyakumari’s men’s figure increased from 25.2 percent to 34.3 percent, while Perambalur’s rose from 23.2 percent to 32.8 percent. Sivaganga increased from 26.2 percent to 32.1 percent among men.
Andhra Pradesh has a lower state-level rate than the other major southern states, at 21.8 percent among women and 24.1 percent among men.
But its district figures tell a more complicated story.
Krishna has the highest women’s rate at 26.2 percent, followed by Chittoor at 25.1 percent, East Godavari at 24.8 percent and West Godavari at 24.5 percent.
Among men, Prakasam records the highest figure at 28 percent, followed by East Godavari and West Godavari at 26.1 percent each.
Chittoor’s women’s figure rose sharply from 17.2 percent to 25.1 percent. Vizianagaram recorded a seven-point increase among women and a 7.7-point increase among men.
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Among 117 comparable districts, the proportion of women under the indicator increased in 112 districts, declined in four and remained unchanged in one. Among men, it increased in 108 districts and declined in nine.
In Telangana, all 29 comparable districts recorded an increase among women and men. The same pattern was seen in all 30 comparable districts in Karnataka.
Among women, the largest district-level increases were recorded in Dakshina Kannada at 12.8 percentage points, Bengaluru Rural at 12.7, Tumakuru at 12.2 and Kolar at 11.3.
Among men, Bengaluru Rural recorded the largest increase at 17.5 percentage points, followed by Chitradurga and Mysuru at 16.7 points each and Dakshina Kannada at 15.7 points.
There is also a rise in the most severe category. The proportion of women with very high blood sugar above 160 mg/dl in Karnataka increased from 6.8 percent in NFHS-5 to 12.4 percent in NFHS-6. Kerala recorded 16.7 percent among women and 18.9 percent among men in this category.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
