Section 2.4

Chapter 2 Sustainable Development Goal 2.2: Malnutrition

2.4 Anaemia among women of reproductive age

Globally, 570.8 million (29.9 percent) of women of reproductive age were still affected by anaemia in 2019, and no progress has been made since 2012. In Africa, the number is 122.7 million, or 38.9 percent. The prevalence of anaemia remains generally high and especially so in Western Africa (51.8 percent) and Central Africa (40.7 percent) (Figure 14 and Table 9). Nevertheless, many countries have made some progress during the past two decades (Figure 15).

TABLE 9.

Prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) (percent)

	2000	2005	2010	2015	2019
World	31.2	29.9	28.6	28.8	29.9
Africa	44.5	42.6	39.9	38.8	38.9
Central Africa	51.0	50.1	47.4	44.5	43.2
Eastern Africa	38.8	35.9	32.2	31.3	31.9
Northern Africa	36.6	34.9	32.6	31.3	31.1
Southern Africa	35.1	32.3	29.1	28.8	30.3
Western Africa	56.7	55.4	53.5	52.4	51.8

Source: WHO.

FIGURE 15.

Prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Africa by subregion

Source: WHO.
https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7496en-fig15

FIGURE 16.

Prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in Africa by country

Source: WHO.
https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7496en-fig16

For anaemia among women of reproductive age, no subregion in Africa (as in the rest of the world) is on track to meeting the WHA target for 2030. There are no countries missing data. Central Africa has made some progress, while Northern, Eastern and Western Africa have made no progress and Southern Africa has seen a deterioration.¹³ ¹³ FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP & WHO. 2021. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021. Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4474en

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended actions to reduce anaemia include iron and folic acid supplementation, with adjustments for, inter alia, pregnancy and malaria, fortification of major staple foods with iron, folic acid and other micronutrients, and exclusive breastfeeding of infants for up to 6 months of age. In addition, it is crucial that diets containing adequate amounts of bioavailable iron should be promoted, malaria control should be practiced, and deworming should be implemented in endemic areas.¹⁴ ¹⁴ WHO. 2014. Global nutrition targets 2025: anaemia policy brief (WHO/NMH/ NHD/14.4). World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.