Progress

Efforts must intensify to meet goals

Some progress has been made in reducing the prevalence of underweight children under five in the developing world. Prevalence declined from 32 per cent to 27 per cent between 1990 and 2006 (based on a subset of 71 countries with trend data for the period 1990 and 2006, covering 78 per cent of the developing world's population). Despite this overall improvement, though, the rate of decline is not enough to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target.

Rate of progress varies by region

The greatest declines in underweight prevalence are in the Central and Eastern European/Commonweath of Independent States (CEE/CIS) and East Asia and the Pacific regions. In CEE/CIS, prevalence decreased from 11 per cent to four per cent between 1996 and 2006 (trend data were not available for most countries around 1990). In East Asia and Pacific, prevalence dropped from 23 per cent to 14 per cent between 1990 and 2006. This improvement was driven by gains in China, where underweight prevalence declined by more than half.

  

Latin America and the Caribbean also made progress, with levels declining from 13 per cent to eight per cent between 1990 and 2006. In South Asia, underweight prevalence declined from 54 per cent to 46 per cent between 1990 and 2006, although current levels remain high. But little improvement was seen in Middle East and North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa where prevalence remained roughly the same (from 13 per cent to 12 per cent and 32 per cent to 28 per cent, respectively) during that same period.

 

East Asia and the Pacific is on track to reach the MDG target, with underweight prevalence reduced by almost 40 per cent from 1990 to 2006. Of 11 countries in this region where trend data are available, eight countries are on track.  

 

Latin America and the Caribbean is on track to meet the MDG target. Mexico in particular has seen major improvements with a decline of 14 per cent in 1988 to five per cent in 2005. Underweight prevalence in Brazil remained roughly constant at seven per cent in 1989 and six per cent in 1996, respectively. However, it is important to note that the most recent estimate for Brazil is from 1996.

 

                           Underweight prevalence has declined in all regions

Note: The trend analysis is based on a subset of 71 countries with trend data, covering 78% of the under-five population in the developing world. For CEE/CIS, the baseline year is 1996; data availability was limited for the period around 1990.

 

CEE/CIS is on track to meet the MDG target. The recent round of MICS surveys has significantly improved the data on child malnutrition in this region. A trend analysis showed that underweight prevalence declined by almost two-thirds from 1996 to 2006. Among 16 countries where trend data are available, 14 are on track.

 

Sub-Saharan Africa has made progress in reducing underweight prevalence, but the rate of decline is not fast enough to reach the MDG target. The rate of progress is insufficient in half of the Sub-Saharan African countries where trend data are available. A third of the countries are in the “no progress” category. However, some Sub-Saharan Africa countries are on track, including: Botswana, Congo, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania and Sao Tome and Principe.

 

South Asia has made progress in reducing underweight prevalence, but again, at the current rate the region will not reach the MDG target. In South Asia, the following countries are on track to reach the MDG target: Afghanistan (the rate of improvement refers only to the period 1996-2004); Bangladesh (where prevalence is still high); Bhutan (the most recent estimate is from 1999); Maldives and Sri Lanka. In India, the most populous country in the region, progress has been slow and the current underweight prevalence is 46 per cent among children under three years of age.

 

The Middle East and North Africa has made little progress in underweight prevalence since the early 1990s. The stagnation in this region is primarily driven by two countries, Sudan and Yemen, both very populous. But many countries or territories are on track including: Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Syria and Tunisia.

 

Source for figures: UNICEF global databases.