51.1% of women in Telangana have completed 10 or more years of schooling, according to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6), up from 45.5% recorded in NFHS-5 (2019-21)
Women in Telangana are more educated, digitally connected and financially empowered than ever before, according to findings from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6). Yet, the survey also highlights a stark reality: nearly one in three ever-married women in the State report having experienced spousal violence.
The survey, released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, paints a picture of social progress across a range of indicators related to women’s education, access to technology, financial inclusion and participation in household decision-making. At the same time, it shows that violence against women remains prevalent despite improvements recorded since the previous survey.
10 or more years of schooling
According to NFHS-6, 51.1% of women in Telangana have completed 10 or more years of schooling, up from 45.5% recorded in NFHS-5 (2019-21). The figure is also higher than the national average of 46.4%.
Bank accounts and internet usage
The survey recorded an even sharper rise in internet usage among women. Nearly two-thirds of women in Telangana, 64.8%, reported having ever used the internet, an increase from 26.5% in NFHS-5. The figure is marginally higher than the national average of 64.3%. As many as 92.3% of women in Telangana reported having a bank or savings account that they themselves use, compared with 78.6% in NFHS-5. Nationally, the figure stands at 89%.
The survey found that women continued to play an active role in household decision-making. Among currently married women aged 15 to 49 years, 89.9% reported participating in decisions regarding their own healthcare, major household purchases and visits to family or relatives. The use of hygienic methods of protection during menstruation among young women aged 15 to 24 years reached 95.3% in Telangana, higher than the national average of 79.2%.
The proportion of women who were paid in cash for work increased from 45.1% in NFHS-5 to 53.2% in NFHS-6. The survey also found improvements in ownership of assets by women. The proportion of households in which a woman owns a house and/or land, either alone or jointly with others, increased from 22.3% to 31.1%.
Spousal violence
Despite these gains across multiple indicators, the survey found that 30.8% of ever-married women aged 18 to 49 years in Telangana have experienced spousal violence at some point in their lives. While this represents an improvement from NFHS-5, when the corresponding figure stood at 37.2%, the prevalence remains substantially higher than the national average of 22.3%.
The survey also recorded a decline in violence experienced during pregnancy. Among women aged 18 to 49 years who had ever been pregnant, 2.7% reported experiencing physical violence during pregnancy, compared with 4% in NFHS-5. Another indicator related to violence showed that 0.6% of young women aged 18-29 years reported experiencing sexual violence before the age of 18.
Published – May 30, 2026 12:48 pm IST