% of children aged 6-23 months who received a minimum acceptable diet (MAD) in the previous 24 hours

Definition & calculation

Numerator: Number of surveyed children aged 6-23 months who met both minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency (and, for non-breastfed children, the milk feed criterion) in the previous day

Denominator: Total number of children aged 6-23 months surveyed

Combine minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency (with milk feeds for non-breastfed children) from 24-hour recall to derive the composite MAD indicator per WHO/UNICEF definitions.

Formula: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) × 100

Means of verification

Household or KAP survey using the standard WHO/UNICEF IYCF recall module

Interpretation

Direction: Higher is better

Typical reporting frequency: Baseline, midline and endline (or annual)

Guidance & common pitfalls

MAD is a composite indicator that depends on accurate breastfeeding status classification; report breastfed and non-breastfed children separately as the component criteria differ, and do not interpret it as a nutrient-adequacy measure.

This library is a curated reference to adapt, aligned generically with recognised humanitarian frameworks (Sphere, cluster registries, IASC, CHS and others). It is not an official indicator registry — always use the exact indicator definitions your donor or cluster requires.