Chapter 2 Target 2.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals: malnutrition
2.4 Anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years
In the Arab region, the prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years decreased to 29.2 percent in 2015 and has been increasing since then, to 31.5 percent in 2023. This pattern was observed in almost all income groups, except for high-income countries, where the prevalence has been constantly decreasing since 2000 (Figure 15).
FIGURE 15.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years in the Arab States by country income group
Notes: The estimates refer to women aged 15 to 49 years, including pregnant, non-pregnant women and lactating women and were adjusted for altitude and smoking. WHO defines anaemia in pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration <110 g/L at sea level, and anaemia in non-pregnant women and lactating women as a haemoglobin concentration <120 g/L. The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV). Source: Based on WHO. 2025. WHO Global Anaemia estimates, 2025 edition. [Cited 8 May 2025]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children Download:https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7552en-fig15
The prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years in the Arab region (31.5 percent) was higher than the global estimate (30.7 percent) in 2023 (Table 10).
TABLE 10.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years (percent)
2000
2010
2012
2015
2020
2023
World
29.3
27.6
27.6
28.0
29.2
30.7
Arab States
33.5
30.0
29.5
29.2
30.1
31.5
Low-income countries
37.8
33.7
33.2
33.5
34.4
35.7
Lower-middle-income countries
32.7
29.5
29.1
28.9
30.2
32.1
Upper-middle-income countries
33.3
29.4
28.7
28.1
28.3
29.3
High-income countries
25.8
23.7
23.3
22.9
22.4
22.6
Notes: The estimates refer to women aged 15 to 49 years, including pregnant, non-pregnant women and lactating women and were adjusted for altitude and smoking. WHO defines anaemia in pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration <110 g/L at sea level, and anaemia in non-pregnant women and lactating women as a haemoglobin concentration <120 g/L. The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV). Source: Based on WHO. 2025. WHO Global Anaemia estimates, 2025 edition. [Cited 8 May 2025]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children
The prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years decreased only in a few countries between 2012 and 2023, especially in some high-income countries, such as Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia (Figure 16). However, not only the whole region, but also every country in it, is very far from meeting the WHA 2030 target (50 percent reduction in anaemia in women of reproductive age, compared to the 2012 baseline) (WHO, 2025).
FIGURE 16.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years in the Arab States by country income group and country
Notes: The estimates refer to women aged 15 to 49 years, including pregnant, non-pregnant women and lactating women and were adjusted for altitude and smoking. WHO defines anaemia in pregnant women as a haemoglobin concentration <110 g/L at sea level, and anaemia in non-pregnant women and lactating women as a haemoglobin concentration <120 g/L. The country income groups refer to countries of the Arab States (see Annex IV). Source: Based on WHO. 2025. WHO Global Anaemia estimates, 2025 edition. [Cited 8 May 2025]. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children Download:https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7552en-fig16
