Severe Child Malnutrition Crisis Worsens in Nigeria, Haiti, Southern Asia

A severe child malnutrition crisis is unfolding globally, with acute emergencies in Haiti, Nigeria, and Southern Asia. In Haiti, UNICEF and partners have screened over 217,000 children for acute malnutrition, with more than 21,500 admitted for treatment, representing 17 percent of those in need amid ongoing violence and displacement. Nigeria’s Katsina State has seen a catastrophic rise in child malnutrition, with over 650 children dying from severe acute malnutrition in 2025, exacerbated by funding cuts from major donors including the U.S., U.K., and EU, and compounded by insecurity and displacement. Médecins Sans Frontières reports a 208 percent increase in the most severe malnutrition cases in Katsina, with many children and mothers suffering due to lack of timely care and food insecurity. Southern Asia faces the world’s highest prevalence of wasting at 13.6 percent, affecting 24.4 million children in 2024, alongside a very high stunting rate impacting 56.4 million children, indicating a widespread and persistent undernutrition crisis that threatens child development and survival. The overall global stall in progress against child malnutrition highlights an urgent need for increased funding and coordinated humanitarian responses to prevent further loss of young lives.