GNR country nutrition profiles and Nutrition for Growth (N4G) commitment tracker published

The Global Nutrition Report launched the updated Country Nutrition Profiles and Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Commitment Tracker. Together they represent the most comprehensive source of evidence on progress to improve nutrition around the world.

Country Nutrition Profiles

The Country Nutrition Profiles bring together the latest data to track progress towards global nutrition targets set by the World Health Assembly at the global, regional, and country level and to understand where gaps remain. They provide quality data on key metrics and trends, including new data on diets throughout the life cycle and nutrition-related diseases, as well as different forms of malnutrition. They are interactive and you can explore the data by sex, age, location, wealth and other factors.

Few countries are on course to meet any of the targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN). The latest available data shows that no country is on course to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age, with one in three (32.8%) women aged 15 to 49 years affected, particularly those who are pregnant. Globally, it is estimated that 14.6% of infants have a low weight at birth, with only 11 countries on course to meet the low birthweight target. Some progress has been made towards achieving the exclusive breastfeeding target, with 32 countries on course and 44.0% of infants aged 0 to 5 months worldwide exclusively breastfed. Thirty countries are on course to meet the stunting target and 49 countries are on course to meet the wasting target, yet 21.3% of children under 5 years of age are still affected by stunting and 6.9% by wasting. Worldwide, 53 countries are on course to prevent an increase in the prevalence of overweight among children under 5 years of age, which currently affects 5.6% of children.

Very few countries around the world are on course to meet the targets for diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). No country is on course to halt the rise of obesity, with 15.1% of adult (aged 18 years or over) women and 11.1% of adult men living with obesity globally. At the same time, diabetes is estimated to affect 7.9% of adult women and 9.0% of adult men, with very few countries on course to prevent these numbers from increasing.

The Global Nutrition Report brings together the latest data on diet, the burden of malnutrition, nutrition strategies and financing and social determinants of nutrition to comprehensively assess the state of global nutrition.

N4G Commitment Tracker

The N4G Commitment Tracker provides the latest data on progress made by governments, businesses, civil society and other actors around the world towards commitments to improve nutrition made at past N4G summits. For the first time this year, the N4G Commitment Tracker provides data on donor spending on nutrition for the years 2010–2018.

While 2020 has been an eye-opening year for global health and nutrition, 2021 represents a unique opportunity to shift the dial on nutrition. Commitments made at previous N4G summits are ending and actors across the world are developing new commitments to improve nutrition. This is therefore a key moment to take stock of progress to date and use these insights to build more resilient and inclusive food and health systems.

The N4G Commitment Tracker provides the latest data on progress towards N4G commitments. You can search our interactive tracker to find out who is making progress towards commitments – and where more action is needed. This makes it an important resource for anyone who needs evidence to shape stronger commitments on nutrition.

The 2020 Global Nutrition Report called for greater investments  in nutrition, especially in the communities most affected by malnutrition. It urged governments, businesses and civil society to leverage key moments to renew and expand nutrition commitments and strengthen accountability.

Commitments made in previous N4G summits are ending. The world is now gearing up for a year of commitments on food and nutrition in 2021. To improve nutrition outcomes in the future, we need to take stock of progress made towards commitments to date.

As we approach a new year of global commitments on nutrition and food, data on countries’ progress is more crucial than ever. Explore our Country Nutrition Profiles now: https://t.co/iNqw9C4suT pic.twitter.com/5EEGgI7vf3

— Global Nutrition Report (@GNReport) December 8, 2020