Pakistan’s malnutrition crisis threatens economic growth and human capital: Report

New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Pakistan’s economic policy debate has long centred on inflation, public debt, taxation, exports and the energy crisis. But beneath these recurring challenges lies a deeper problem that could have lasting consequences for the country’s economic future — widespread childhood malnutrition and the damage it causes to human capital, a report has said.

Nearly four in every 10 Pakistani children suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to The Express Tribune report. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, around 40.2 per cent of children under the age of five in Pakistan were stunted, a level that has remained stubbornly high for more than two decades. Recent assessments by Unicef and the World Bank indicate that progress has been limited despite repeated policy commitments.

Stunting is not simply a measure of a child being shorter than expected for their age. It reflects prolonged nutritional deprivation during the earliest stages of life, particularly the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday. This period is critical for brain development, immunity, learning ability and future productivity, making prolonged undernutrition a potential setback that can extend well into adulthood.

The problem is also not limited to the availability of food. Unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and repeated infections can prevent children from absorbing nutrients even when food is available. Maternal malnutrition, anaemia, inadequate antenatal care and poor infant-feeding practices further increase the risk. Unicef estimates that 38 per cent of Pakistani children lived in severe food poverty in 2024, consuming food from no more than two recommended food groups, the report said.

The situation has been aggravated by rising food prices, climate-related crop failures, declining household incomes and limited awareness of nutrition. For many low-income families, nutritious food competes directly with other basic household expenses, while inadequate access to clean water and sanitation exposes children to repeated illnesses that can further worsen their nutritional condition.

The crisis is particularly visible in rural areas, where basic health services often remain difficult to access. Mothers may have to travel long distances to reach health facilities, only to encounter vacant positions, disrupted supplies of iron and folic acid supplements or nutrition programmes that are not consistently operational. Community health workers can identify undernourished children but often lack adequate therapeutic foods, supplements and referral mechanisms to provide timely treatment, the report noted.

–IANS

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