Previous
Next

Index






Proportion (%) of underweight children by region, 1985-1995
Underweight (weight for age) is still the most widespread indicator used. The proportion of underweight children in each region was estimated by the UN SubCommittee on Nutrition (ACC/SCN) in preparation for the Third Report of the World Nutrition Situation. In 1995, 86 million children were underweight in South Asia, 36 million in South East Asia & the Pacific, 32 million in SubSaharan Africa, 7 million in North Africa & the Middle East and 4 million in
    Latian America & the Caribbean. While the situation in SubSaharan Africa has been nearly static over the last decade, its prevalence of underweight is still considerably below that in South Asia which includes more than half the malnourished children in the world. Potential explanations are discussed in the attached paper.
    Global progress in reducing the prevalence of underweight since 1990, or even progress in most regions, is still less than one fifth of that necessary to reach the goal of halving the prevalence from 1990-2000; this goal was approved at the World Summit for Children and reaffirmed at the International Conference on Nutrition.

Slide 6 of 20