Maternal Nutrition

Despite recognition of the importance of women’s
nutrition, the prevalence of malnutrition in
women – in all its forms – is unacceptably high.
Malnutrition, including underweight, short stature,
anaemia and overweight, affects millions of women
around the world (Figure 2), including during the
nutritionally demanding periods of pregnancy and
breastfeeding.1

Globally, approximately 170 million
women (9.1 per cent) are underweight, while three
times as many women (610 million or 32.5 per cent)
are overweight.1

While there have been important
reductions in the prevalence of underweight in
LMICs, progress has been uneven across regions

and within countries; prevalence is still high in sub-
Saharan Africa and South Asia, and low-income

women within countries are most impacted.2
At
the same time, the prevalence of overweight and
obesity among women has increased over the past
three decades and now affects more than half a
billion (610 million) women.1