NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Friday, April 10, 2015

India has the third-highest number of obese and overweight people (11 % of adolescents, and 20 % of all adults) after US and China, a recent study mapping global malnutrition trends has revealed.

The Malnutrition Mapping Project launched by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in partnership with Amway has also found that half of pregnant women and 74% of children under the age of five are anemic.

According to the study, a total of 56 per 1000 children die before their 5th birthday, and 47.9 % of children under the age of five are stunted. The project highlights the global challenge represented by the double burden of under-nutrition and overweight and obesity. Although there are decreasing rates of undernutrition in some populations, it remains high in many low-and- middle-income countries, threatening the survival and healthy development of children. In India, for example, undernutrition is the leading risk factor for death in children under age 5.