How much iron do women need a day?
ICMR 2020 explained.
How much iron per day does an Indian woman need? According to ICMR-NIN’s 2020 guidelines, the answer is 29 mg, up from 21 mg in 2010 and much higher than the 18 mg you see on many imported labels. Here is what the 29 mg means, why India’s number is higher, how needs change through teenage years, pregnancy, breastfeeding and after 60, the safe upper limit, and how to reach your number.
This guide is for education. If you have symptoms of low iron or anaemia, get tested; treatment doses are set by a doctor.
How much iron per day: the short version
How much iron does a woman need a day?
An Indian woman needs 29 mg of iron a day from 18 years until menopause, according to ICMR-NIN 2020. She needs about 27 mg in pregnancy, 23 mg while breastfeeding and 19 mg from age 60. Men need 19 mg. These amounts count food and supplements together.
Iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin, normal oxygen transport, normal energy-yielding metabolism, normal cognitive function and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.1 That is why getting enough every day matters.
Claims are ingredient-based and not specific to any product. Details on the numbers are in the “About the numbers” box at the bottom of this page.
The figure comes from Nutrient Requirements for Indians, 2020, published by ICMR’s National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN). It is the official reference for Indian diets, food labels and health supplements, and the ICMR RDA for iron is the number used throughout this guide.2
Iron requirement per day for females by life stage
How much iron do girls and women need at each age?
Per ICMR-NIN 2020: girls aged 10–12 need 28 mg a day, 13–15 need 30 mg, and 16–18 need 32 mg, the highest of any group. Adult women need 29 mg, pregnant women about 27 mg, breastfeeding women 23 mg and women aged 60 and over 19 mg.
| Life stage | Average need (EAR) | Recommended (RDA) | Upper limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls 10–12 years | 16 | 28 | 40 |
| Girls 13–15 years | 17 | 30 | 45 |
| Girls 16–18 years | 18 | 32 | 45 |
| Women, 18 to menopause | 15 | 29 | 45 |
| Pregnancy | 21 | 27 | 45 |
| Breastfeeding (0–6 months) | 16 | 23 | 45 |
| Women 60 and over | 11 | 19 | 45 |
| Men (for comparison) | 11 | 19 | 45 |
The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) is the amount that covers the needs of almost everyone in the group, about 97.5% of people. The EAR (estimated average requirement) is what an average person needs. Use the RDA as your personal target; the EAR is what researchers use to judge how many people in a population are short.2
Why do Indian women need 29 mg of iron?
Why is India’s iron RDA for women so high?
Two reasons. Periods remove iron every month, and the amount varies a lot between women. And Indian meals are mostly cereal-based, so only about 8% of their iron is absorbed. To cover nearly all women, ICMR set the RDA at 29 mg, even though the average woman needs about 15 mg.
ICMR worked out the number step by step:2,3
- Daily losses: a 55 kg woman loses about 0.77 mg of iron a day through skin, gut and urine.
- Period losses: pooled data from 10 studies, including one from India, give an average of 13.7 mg per 28-day cycle, with some women losing far more.
- Total absorbed iron needed: about 1.2 mg a day on average.
- Absorption: Indian women absorb about 8% of iron from typical cereal-based meals, in stable-isotope studies from India.
- Result: an average need (EAR) of 15 mg, and an RDA of 29 mg to cover 97.5% of women, including those with heavier periods.
This is also why the RDA for women (29 mg) is higher than for pregnancy (27 mg): periods stop in pregnancy, absorption goes up, and the wide variation in period losses no longer applies.2
| Group | ICMR 2010 | ICMR 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 21 | 29 | Up 8 mg |
| Men | 17 | 19 | Up 2 mg |
| Pregnancy | 35 | 27 | Down 8 mg |
| Breastfeeding | 21 | 23 | Up 2 mg |
| Girls 16–18 | 26 | 32 | Up 6 mg |
The 2020 committee used newer data on Indian body weights, the spread of period losses and Indian absorption studies, and for the first time set an EAR alongside the RDA.2
India vs US vs Europe: why labels show different numbers
Why do imported supplements show 18 mg of iron for women?
Different countries set different targets. The US recommends 18 mg a day for women aged 19–50, and Europe 16 mg. India’s 29 mg is higher mainly because Indian meals are cereal-based and plant iron is poorly absorbed. Use India’s figure if you eat a typical Indian diet.
| Group | India (ICMR-NIN 2020) | United States (IOM) | Europe (EFSA 2015) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women before menopause | 29 | 18 | 16 |
| Pregnancy | 27 | 27 | 16 |
| Breastfeeding | 23 | 9 | 16 |
| Men | 19 | 8 | 11 |
US and European figures assume more mixed diets with meat and fish, where iron is better absorbed.4,5 On Indian food labels and health supplements, the reference is ICMR-NIN.6
Is 29 mg of iron too much? The upper limit
What is the upper limit of iron per day?
ICMR-NIN sets the tolerable upper limit at 45 mg of iron a day for adults and teenagers from 13 years, and 40 mg for younger children, from all sources. 29 mg is well within it. Higher doses are sometimes prescribed for a limited time to treat deficiency, under a doctor’s care.
The iron upper limit per day is based on stomach upset (nausea, constipation, abdominal pain) seen at higher supplement doses. Very large overdoses are dangerous, especially for children: keep iron tablets out of their reach.2 People with haemochromatosis or iron overload should not take iron.
How much iron can a supplement contain in India?
How much iron is allowed in a health supplement in India?
Under FSSAI’s health supplement rules, a daily serving can provide up to one full RDA: up to 29 mg of iron for a product meant for women, or 19 mg for one meant for all adults. Higher doses used to treat anaemia are prescribed medicines, not health supplements.
A supplement serving must also give at least 15% of the RDA to claim a nutrient benefit.6 When you compare labels, check the elemental iron in mg per serving, not the weight of the iron compound, and look for an FSSAI licence number.
How to reach 29 mg of iron a day
How can I get enough iron every day?
Build each meal around iron-rich foods such as pulses, millets, green leaves and seeds, and add vitamin C from lemon, amla or guava. Keep tea and coffee away from meals. A planned vegetarian day can reach about 29 mg. If a blood test shows low iron, follow your doctor’s plan.
- Know your number29 mg for women, 27 mg in pregnancy, 23 mg while breastfeeding, 19 mg from age 60.
- Choose iron-rich staplesBajra (6.4 mg per 100 g), whole masoor (7.6 mg), rajma (6.1 mg), whole chana (6.8 mg) and atta over maida.
- Add seeds and leavesGarden cress seeds (17.2 mg per 100 g), til, chaulai, methi and curry leaves.
- Add vitamin C to every iron mealLemon, amla, guava, tomato or orange help you absorb plant iron.
- Move your chaiHave tea and coffee at least an hour away from meals.
- Test if you have symptomsFerritin and a complete blood count show whether your stores are low.
- Supplement only as neededFollow your doctor’s advice on dose and duration.
Food values come from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017.7 See a full vegetarian day that reaches about 29 mg in our iron-rich foods in India guide, and the warning signs of low iron in our iron deficiency symptoms in women guide.
You have tiredness, breathlessness, pale skin, hair shedding or restless legs, very heavy periods, or are pregnant or planning pregnancy. Low iron is confirmed with a blood test, and treatment doses are set by a doctor. Read why 57% of Indian women are anaemic.
Know your numbers, then fill the real gaps.
Your daily iron need is clear. To see whether your diet is meeting it, and which other nutrients may be short, start with our free check.
Nutrient Gap Finder
Answer a few quick questions about your food, periods, routine and symptoms to see which nutrients you may be running low on, including iron, and which tests to ask your doctor about.
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Join the waitlist →- The pregnancy RDA of 27 mg is ICMR’s average across the three trimesters for a 12 kg weight gain; trimester values range from about 24 to 27 mg.2
- The period-loss figure pools 10 studies; only one was from India, so ICMR included all of them.3
- The 60-and-over values come from ICMR’s separate table for older adults.2
- Different countries use different methods and diets, so their numbers are not directly interchangeable.4,5
- Treatment doses for diagnosed deficiency are usually much higher than the RDA and are given for a limited time under medical care.8
Daily iron needs, answered simply.
How much iron should a woman take daily?
Is 29 mg of iron too much?
How much iron do men need?
How much iron do I need in pregnancy?
How much iron do I need while breastfeeding?
What is the upper limit of iron per day?
Why is the RDA for women higher than for pregnancy?
Why did ICMR raise women’s iron RDA from 21 to 29 mg?
What is the difference between EAR and RDA?
How much iron do teenage girls need?
How much iron do women over 60 need?
Do women need less iron after menopause?
Why is India’s iron RDA higher than the US?
How much iron is absorbed from food?
Can I get 29 mg of iron from food alone?
How much iron can a supplement contain in India?
Should I take an iron supplement every day?
What happens if I get too much iron?
How much iron is in a normal Indian diet?
Which foods give the most iron per day?
How much iron do I need if I have heavy periods?
Does vitamin C help me meet my iron needs?
Studies behind this guide
- European Commission. Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods (iron).
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements, 2020 — Chapter 9 (iron), Tables 9.6 and 9.7, and summary tables for adults and the elderly.
- Ghosh S, Sinha S, Thomas T, Sachdev HS, Kurpad AV. Revisiting dietary iron requirement and deficiency in Indian women: implications for food iron fortification and supplementation. J Nutr. 2019. DOI 10.1093/jn/nxy283
- Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Washington DC: National Academies Press; 2001.
- EFSA NDA Panel. Scientific opinion on dietary reference values for iron. EFSA Journal. 2015;13(10):4254.
- Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Medical Purpose and Prebiotic and Probiotic Food) Regulations, 2022 — vitamins and minerals between 15% and 100% of the ICMR RDA per daily serving.
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Hyderabad: National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR); 2017.
- Jepsen L, Ravn P. Iron deficiency in premenopausal women [review]. Ugeskr Laeger. 2024;186:V02240100; Clarke M, et al. HOW Collaborative consensus on iron deficiency in pregnancy. Intern Med J. 2025.