A newly released joint report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Bank Group has sounded the alarm over worsening rates of child stunting in Africa, revealing that the continent is the only region globally where the number of stunted children has continued to rise since 2012.
According to the Joint Malnutrition Estimates 2025 Edition, which presents updated data on child malnutrition from 2000 to 2024, the number of children suffering from stunting in Africa increased from 61.7 million in 2012 to 64.8 million in 2024, despite global advances in reducing undernutrition among children.
“Asia bears over half of all children with stunting (51 per cent), while Africa accounts for 43 per cent. Most concerning: Africa is the only region where the number of children affected by stunting has increased since 2012, rising from 61.7 million to 64.8 million children,” the report stated.
Stunting, the report explains, is a condition of impaired growth and development in children, primarily caused by chronic poor nutrition, recurring infections, and lack of adequate psychosocial stimulation. In simple terms, stunting manifests as a child being too short for their age.
The report paints a grim picture of global child nutrition. Despite some progress over the decades, millions of children under five remain malnourished, with serious consequences for their health, education, and future economic productivity.
“The latest estimates reveal: 150.2 million children under five experienced stunting; 42.8 million suffered from wasting, including 12.2 million with severe wasting; and 35.5 million were affected by overweight,” the report revealed.
It further noted that global progress is slowing.
“Recent trends signal a worrying halt in stunting reduction, continued high levels of wasting, and unchanged rates of overweight among children under 5 years old globally. Less than one-third of countries are on track to meet 2030 stunting targets, while just 17 per cent are progressing toward overweight reduction goals.”
The agencies warn that the impact of child malnutrition goes beyond physical appearance.
“Stunting impacts physical growth, brain development, and lifetime earning potential. Wasting puts children at immediate risk of death. Without action, we risk an entire generation’s potential slipping away.”
The report also raised concerns over the inadequacy of reliable data in some countries, which makes it difficult to properly monitor and assess progress, especially regarding wasting.
“More intensive efforts are needed for the world to achieve the global targets for stunting, wasting, and child overweight by 2030. Gaps in the availability of data in some regions make it challenging to accurately assess progress towards global targets. Regular data collection is critical for monitoring and reporting on country, regional, and global progress on child malnutrition,” the report noted.
In addition, the findings indicate that the world is off course in reaching several global nutrition goals.
“Just over one quarter of all countries (28 per cent) are ‘on track’ to halve the number of children affected by stunting by 2030, and assessment of progress to date is not possible for 20 per cent of countries. Even fewer countries are expected to achieve the 2030 target of three per cent prevalence for overweight, with just 17 per cent of countries currently ‘on track’.
Further, an assessment of progress towards the wasting target is not possible for over one-third of all countries.”
The report emphasizes that good nutrition is essential to a child’s survival, growth, and development, enabling them to thrive, learn, and contribute meaningfully to society. Conversely, malnutrition undermines this foundation and, if left unaddressed, robs children of their potential before life truly begins.
