BackgroundChildhood mortality and morbidity has become a major public health issue in low-middle-income countries. However, evidence suggested that Low birth weight(LBW) is one of the most important risk factors for childhood deaths and disability.This study is designed to estimate the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) in India and to identify maternal correlates associated with LBW.MethodsData has been taken from National Family Health Survey 5 (2019–2021) for analysis. 149,279 women belonging to reproductive age group (15–49) year who had last recent most delivery preceding the NFHS-5 survey.ResultsMother's age, female child, birth interval of less than 24 months, their low educational level, low wealth index, rural residence, lack of insurance coverage, women with low BMI, anaemia, and no ANC visits during pregnancy are predictors that contribute to LBW in India. After adjusting for covariates, smoking and alcohol consupmtion is strongly correlated with LBW.ConclusionMother’s age, educational attainment and socioeconomic status of living has a highly significant with LBW in India. However, consumption of tobacco and cigarrettes are also associated with LBW.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-023-05726-y.