The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2)(1) conducted in 1998-99 provides a comprehensive profile of population, health, and nutrition in India. The information was collected from a representative sample of approximately 90,000 ever married women aged 15-49 years drawn from all states of the country. A similar number of women were covered during the NFHS-1 in 1992-93(2), which provided a comprehensive demographic and health database for India. Infant and child mortality reflects a country’s socio-economic development. Therefore in the present communication some of the salient findings of the NFHS-2 with regards to trends and determinants of childhood mortality are presented.