Malnutrition costs Pakistan $17bn annually: report

• 34% of kids under the age of five are stunted countrywide.
• Stunting blamed for the primary consequence of inaction.
• Pakistan has highest prevalence of stunting in South Asia.

ISLAMABAD: Due to the ongoing undernutrition crisis, Pakistan bears an enormous yearly economic cost of $17 billion (Rs4.733 trillion), or 4.6 % of its Gross National Income (GNI), The News reported.

Four main indicators have been used to determine the economic impact of undernutrition: stunting, low birth weight, childhood anemia, and anemia in adolescent women and girls.

Nutrition International (NI) recently released a report that included these shocking revelations. As 34% of kids under the age of five are stunted countrywide, stunting has been identified as the primary consequence of inaction.

Despite efforts to address the issue, 34% of Pakistani children under five are stunted, 22% of newborns have low birth weight and 53% of children aged 6-59 months suffer from anemia. These conditions result in cognitive losses, increased school dropouts and reduced productivity, further exacerbating economic challenges.

Stunting alone costs the economy $16 billion annually, accounting for 4.2% of GNI. With over 10 million children affected and two million new cases reported annually, stunting leads to a loss of 21 million IQ points and 3.3 million school years every year.

“Pakistan ranks 18th globally and has the highest prevalence of stunting in South Asia,” the report noted, emphasising the urgent need to achieve the World Health Assembly’s (WHA) target of reducing stunting by 40% until 2025.