About one in four adults in Tamil Nadu now has high blood sugar or is on treatment for it, according to the sixth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6, 2023-24). The share has risen to 25.2% of women and 26.7% of men, up from 20.7% and 22.1% in NFHS-5 (2019-21), the survey’s state fact sheet data show. Chennai is higher still: 29% of women and 28.9% of men, according to the district figures analysed by The South First.
Blood pressure has moved the other way, if only slightly. That matters because both conditions usually cause no symptoms for years, and both can be picked up with a free test at any government health facility in the city.
What NFHS-6 shows for Tamil Nadu
NFHS measures blood sugar and blood pressure on the spot in a household sample of women and men aged 15 and above. The table below gives the headline indicators, “high” meaning a random blood sugar above 140 mg/dl or taking medicine for it, and blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or more or on medication.
| Indicator (Tamil Nadu) | NFHS-5 (2019-21) | NFHS-6 (2023-24) | NFHS-6 urban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women: high blood sugar or on medication | 20.7% | 25.2% | 27.9% |
| Men: high blood sugar or on medication | 22.1% | 26.7% | 28.4% |
| Women: raised BP or on medication | 24.8% | 24.2% | 27.1% |
| Men: raised BP or on medication | 30.2% | 28.2% | 29.6% |
| Women overweight or obese (BMI 25+) | 40.5% | 44.2% | 49.1% |
| Men overweight or obese (BMI 25+) | 37.1% | 38.8% | 42.6% |
Three points stand out. Urban figures are higher than rural ones on every measure, which is bad news for a fully urban district like Chennai. The share with very high sugar (above 160 mg/dl) rose sharply, from 11.1% to 14.0% among women and 11.9% to 15.3% among men. And overweight and obesity keep climbing, especially among urban women, where nearly half are now in that range (Madhyamam also reported this).
Some districts rose faster than others. Kanniyakumari men went from 25.2% to 34.3% on the high-sugar measure. Across 117 comparable southern districts, the women’s indicator rose in 112 (The South First).
Other surveys tell a similar story
NFHS uses a single finger-prick test, so it is a screening snapshot rather than a diagnosis. Surveys with a stricter design point the same way. The state Health department’s 2024-25 policy note cites a state STEPS survey putting adult hypertension at 33.9% and diabetes at 17.2%. ICMR’s INDIAB study, the largest national survey of diabetes, has also found diabetes more common in towns than in villages. Whichever survey you take, the message for Chennai is the same: a large share of adults have one or both conditions, and many do not know it.
Free screening at government centres
Under the national NCD programme run in Tamil Nadu through the National Health Mission, everyone aged 30 and above who attends a government health facility can be screened for hypertension and diabetes, and women also for cervical and breast cancer (NHM Tamil Nadu). The state’s NCD programme says these services are free at government hospitals, PHCs, community health centres, medical college hospitals, ESI facilities and selected municipal health facilities (DMRHS).
The 2024-25 policy note counts NCD clinics in 2,618 health facilities statewide. It also says the home-based Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam programme had reached 1.72 crore beneficiaries and screened about 95% of the target population for hypertension and diabetes. That scheme dates from the previous government; check with your urban PHC whether home visits continue in your ward.
In Chennai, the practical options are:
- your nearest Greater Chennai Corporation urban primary health centre, for a BP check and blood sugar test on an outpatient day;
- the NCD clinic or general medicine OPD at government hospitals such as RGGGH, Stanley, Kilpauk or Royapettah, for confirmation tests and regular treatment;
- free monthly medicines once diagnosed, collected from the same facility.
Take any earlier reports and your current medicines. If a reading is high, the doctor will usually repeat it or order a fasting test before confirming a diagnosis. This article is general information; consult a doctor about your own results.
Quick answers
How common is diabetes in Chennai?
In NFHS-6 (2023-24), 29% of women and 28.9% of men in Chennai district had high blood sugar or were on medication for it.
Is BP and sugar testing free in Chennai?
Yes. Adults aged 30 and above can be screened free at government health facilities, including Corporation urban PHCs.
Is high blood pressure rising in Tamil Nadu?
Not on NFHS figures: 24.2% of women and 28.2% of men in 2023-24, slightly below 2019-21. It remains very common.
Is one high reading a diagnosis?
No. Doctors confirm diabetes and hypertension with repeat or fasting tests.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- NFHS-6 (2023-24) Tamil Nadu state fact sheet data (OpenCity, from MoHFW/IIPS)
- High blood sugar rates rise in over 100 southern districts: NFHS-6 (The South First)
- Health and Family Welfare Department Policy Note 2024-25 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer and NCDs (National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu)
- Non-Communicable Diseases programme (Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services, Tamil Nadu)
- Tamil Nadu’s public health gains threatened by rising obesity and diabetes (Madhyamam)
