10 Million Children Stunted Amid Deepening Nutrition Crisis in Pakistan: UNICEF
News Desk
Islamabad: Pakistan is facing a worsening nutrition emergency, with millions of children suffering from malnutrition, stunting, and vitamin deficiencies, prompting calls for food security and nutrition to be recognized as constitutional rights.
According to the latest health data available on UNICEF, nearly 10 million children in Pakistan are affected by stunting—a chronic condition that hinders a child’s physical and cognitive development. Experts warn that stunting is not merely a result of hunger but reflects a complex crisis involving the quality of diet, maternal health, and systemic neglect of child nutrition.
“Inadequate maternal nutrition during pregnancy is a major contributor to stunted growth in children,” said a senior pediatric health specialist. “It’s not just about feeding children, it’s about what and how we feed them.”
Statistics reveal a dire picture: 8 out of 10 children in Pakistan do not consume the right type or quantity of food, and only 38 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed during the first six months of life—far below the global health recommendations.
The consequences are staggering. More than half of all children under five are deficient in vitamin A, 40 per cent lack sufficient zinc and vitamin D, and nearly 62 per cent are anaemic. These deficiencies compromise immunity, increase susceptibility to disease, and impair long-term growth and learning ability.
Acute malnutrition, which leads to wasting—where children wither away to skin and bones—is alarmingly high across the country. Several districts are reported to be at “emergency” levels, according to international nutrition thresholds.
Although treatment programs for severe acute malnutrition in Pakistan have shown impressive cure rates—exceeding global benchmarks—they remain limited in reach, covering less than five per cent of those in need.
Health and rights advocates are urging the federal and provincial governments to prioritize nutrition as a fundamental right under the Constitution. “Pakistan needs a rights-based approach to nutrition and food security,” said a development sector analyst. “Without constitutional guarantees, the response will remain fragmented and underfunded.”
With a predominantly young population and rising health insecurity, the failure to address malnutrition threatens the country’s socio-economic future. Experts are calling for urgent, coordinated policy reforms, improved maternal and child healthcare services, and increased investment in nutrition-sensitive interventions to combat the crisis at scale.
MNA Delegation Calls for Nutrition to Be Recognized as Constitutional Right
Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA and Convenor of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR), along with a delegation comprising Zahra Wadood Fatemi, MNA, and Mr. Muhammad Ali, MNA, visited the Nutrition International (NI) Pakistan office in Islamabad to gain insights into the pressing issues of malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and child health challenges in Pakistan, particularly among women and youth.
During the briefing, Dr. Shabina Raza, Country Director at Nutrition International, highlighted that malnutrition remains a leading cause of various diseases and needs to be addressed as a cross-cutting issue. She emphasized the importance of empowering women through nutrition initiatives to bring about nationwide change, noting that women constitute half of the population in Pakistan.
NI, which operates in 154 districts across the country and has been active in Pakistan for nearly 25 years, has made substantial progress, including the distribution of vitamin A supplements to over 32 million children, training lady health workers, and supplying iron and zinc to adolescent girls. The organization also reaches 37.7 million children annually with vitamin A supplements and has established a technical working group that meets biannually to monitor progress.
The delegation was briefed by senior NI officials, including Dr. Irfan Ullah, Deputy Country Director; Dr. Irshad Danish, Regional Advocacy Advisor; Shehzad Afzal, National Program Manager for Child Survival and Development; Zameer Haider, Senior National Program Manager – LSFF; and others.
They discussed the continued challenges posed by diarrhea, which remains a major health concern, prompting the increased provision of zinc and oral rehydration salts (ORS). Recently, 300,000 doses of ORS were supplied to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. NI’s role in food fortification, especially through universal salt iodization, was also highlighted.
Since 2006, NI has supported 1,400 salt processors and developed 97 testing laboratories, resulting in a significant rise in iodized salt usage from 17% in 2001 to 80% today, benefiting 180 million people annually.
In response to the briefing, Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan praised Nutrition International’s efforts to address child nutrition and its ongoing commitment to ensuring the health and rights of children across Pakistan. She also announced that PCCR will be launching a Summer Internship Program for children aged 12-18, aimed at educating youth about child rights, health, and civic awareness.
Dr. Khan invited Nutrition International to support this initiative through awareness sessions and expert engagements.
Zahra Wadood Fatemi, MNA, emphasized the need to recognize nutrition and food security as constitutional rights, while Muhammad Ali, MNA, expressed the importance of such collaborative efforts, stating that the health and well-being of Pakistan’s children remain a top priority for Parliament.
The delegation, accompanied by officials from the National Assembly Secretariat, including Syed Haziq Bukhari, Iffat Pervaz, and Syed Arsalan Kazmi, reaffirmed their commitment to tackling issues such as child labor, child abuse, and malnutrition.
They also pledged to strengthen partnerships that promote the child rights agenda in Pakistan and commended Nutrition International for its leadership and significant contributions to child health and nutrition in the country.
