Child Wasting Globally
Child wasting is the life-threatening result of poor nutrient intake, recurrent illnesses, maternal malnutrition, low birthweight, poor feeding and care practices and/or infection. It is exacerbated by food insecurity, limited access to drinking water and poverty.
Children suffering from wasting have weakened immunity, are susceptible to long-term developmental delays and face an increased risk of death, particularly when wasting is severe.
The number of children who suffer from wasting globally is increasing dramatically as a result of multiple conflicts, epidemics and food insecurity, as well as climate change-induced disasters, such as droughts and flooding.
Yet, wasting is not only brought on by crisis. In fact, two-thirds of all children with wasting live in places that are not facing emergencies.
Act now
Children suffering from severe wasting require early detection and timely treatment and care to survive and thrive. Greater efforts are also needed to prevent wasting before it starts, by reaching children at risk and those living in vulnerable contexts with immediate preventative actions.
We must act now to scale up the prevention, early detection and treatment of child wasting to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing child wasting prevalence to below 3 per cent by 2030. Achieving this target is critical to save lives and set more children on the path to grow, develop and thrive.
Child Wasting estimates
