Highlights:

Sustainable Development Goal 2.1: Undernourishment and Food Insecurity

• The prevalence of undernourishment in the Asia and the Pacific region decreased to 8.4 percent in 2022 from 8.8 percent of the previous year, equivalent to around 12 million fewer undernourished people than in 2021, but 55 million more than in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Asia and the Pacific region represents half of the world’s undernourished people.
• Southern Asia accounts for almost 314 million of the region’s undernourished people. This represents 85 percent of undernourished people in the Asia and the Pacific region.
• There are more severely food insecure individuals in Southern Asia than any other subregions.
• Women across the subregions, except for Eastern Asia, tend to be more food insecure than men.

Sustainable Development Goal 2.2: Malnutrition

• Stunting among children under 5 years of age, with a prevalence of 23.4 percent, continues to be a public health problem in the region despite the declining trend from 2000. Among the subregions, Oceania is experiencing a rise while the other subregions are slowly declining.
• Overall, the region has double the percent children under five affected by wasting when compared to the world’s average in 2022. Of the subregions, Southern Asia had the highest percent (14.3 percent).
• The prevalence of overweight children under five in the region has remained the same for 2020 and 2021 (5.1 percent), which is slightly lower than the world prevalence (5.6 percent).
• Anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years is a severe problem in the region, with more than 40 percent prevalence in 2019.

Additional World Health Assembly Nutrition Indicators

• Regional and subregional data show that the prevalence of adult obesity increased from 2000 to 2016, with Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) showing the steepest upward trend over this 16-year period.
• Nearly all subregions in Asia and the Pacific region have made progress with increasing prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life from 2012 to 2021. Of the subregions, Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and Southern Asia already achieved the WHA target of at least 50 percent prevalence, while the region as a whole also achieved the WHA target in 2021.
• The region had a 17.8 percent prevalence of low birthweight babies, which is higher than the world’s average of 14.6 percent in 2020. By subregion, Southern Asia had the highest prevalence of low birthweight (24.4 percent) followed by Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) at 17.9 percent (similar to the regional prevalence).

Cost and Affordability of a Healthy Diet

• In 2021, the average cost of a healthy diet in the region changed by as much as 5.3 percent and was estimated at 4.15 PPP dollars per person per day.
• There were 1.9 billion people who could not afford a healthy diet in 2021. This is an improvement of 80.4 million people compared to 2020.
• By subregion, Southern Asia had the highest number of people who could not afford the cost of a healthy diet in 2021 (1.4 billion). South-eastern Asia follows with 357.4 million people, an increase of 8.4 million – or 0.9 percent points – compared to 2020.