Chapter 2 Sustainable development goal 2.2: malnutrition
2.4 ANAEMIA AMONG WOMEN AGED 15 TO 49 YEARS
Anaemia is characterized by low levels of haemoglobin in the blood and has severe health implications. It is a complex condition with a wide variety of causes that include iron deficiency as well as other nutritional deficiencies, infections, inflammation, gynaecological and obstetric conditions, and inherited red blood cell disorders. Pregnant women have greater iron requirements, which means they are especially at risk of anaemia, which is a condition associated with increased risks for maternal and child mortality (WHO, 2023b; WHO, 2023a).
Anaemia affected 17.2 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years in Latin America and the Caribbean (equivalent to 29.6 million women) in 2019, which is significantly below the world estimate of 29.9 percent. The prevalence of anaemia among women in South America and Mesoamerica was 17.3 and 14.6 percent, respectively. However, in the Caribbean, 29.2 percent of women suffered from this condition, which is very close to the world estimate (FIGURE 16).
Although the prevalence of anaemia has decreased in all subregions compared to 2000, stagnation has been observed from 2014 onwards in the region. Specifically, in the Caribbean, the prevalence increased 0.6 percentage point between 2015 and 2019.
FIGURE 16.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years in Latin America and the Caribbean by subregion
Note: 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. Source: WHO. 2021. Global anaemia estimates, Edition 2021. In: WHO | Global Health Observatory (GHO) data repository. [Cited 20 April 2023]. www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children Download: https://doi.org/10.4060/CC8514EN-fig16
TABLE 11.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years (percent)
2000
2005
2010
2012
2015
2019
World
31.2
29.9
28.6
28.5
28.8
29.9
Latin America and the Caribbean
25.6
22.8
19.3
18.2
17.3
17.2
Caribbean
34.8
32.0
29.2
28.7
28.6
29.2
Mesoamerica
22.5
19.0
16.1
15.2
14.5
14.6
South America
25.9
23.4
19.6
18.4
17.4
17.3
Note: 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. Source: WHO. 2021. Global anaemia estimates, Edition 2021. In: WHO | Global Health Observatory (GHO) data repository. [Cited 20 April 2023]. www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children
Among the countries in the region with a high prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age, Haiti had the highest prevalence (47.7 percent), followed by Guyana (31.7 percent) and the Dominican Republic (26.4 percent). By contrast, the countries with the lowest levels were Chile (8.7 percent) and Guatemala (7.4 percent). All countries in the region, except Uruguay, reduced the prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years between 2000 and 2019. Among these countries, the most progress was achieved by Guatemala with a reduction of 67 percent. For its part, Brazil achieved a reduction of 40 percent, while Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago all reduced the prevalence of anaemia by more than 30 percent (FIGURE 17).1010 See Table 25 in Annex I.
FIGURE 17.
Prevalence of anaemia among women aged 15 to 49 years in Latin America and the Caribbean by country and subregion
Note: 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. Source: WHO. 2021. Global anaemia estimates, Edition 2021. In: WHO | Global Health Observatory (GHO) data repository. [Cited 20 April 2023]. www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/anaemia_in_women_and_children Download: https://doi.org/10.4060/CC8514EN-fig17
