How many children in low- and middle-income countries face disrupted nutrition services?

✓ Accepted answer

Millions of children in low- and middle-income countries are currently facing disrupted nutrition services due to the collapse of humanitarian aid funding, particularly following the recent USAID shutdown. The World Health Organization and partner agencies report that this funding gap has created a critical surge in preventable malnutrition among vulnerable youth.

• Scale of Crisis: Recent analyses indicate that nearly 300 million people globally are in crisis-level food insecurity, with a disproportionate impact on young children in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where routine immunization and supplementary feeding programs have stalled.
• Funding Gaps: With the United States previously contributing over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding, the resulting void has led to record-breaking deficits in nutrition programming. In specific high-need regions like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Latin America, the funding drop was even more severe, reaching up to 70 percent.
• Health Consequences: Disrupted services mean fewer screenings for stunting and wasting. For mothers and adolescents in these regions, the lack of access to micronutrients and iron supplementation increases the risk of preterm birth and lifelong developmental delays for infants.
• Policy Response: The 2026 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report urges governments to bridge these gaps through domestic investment in food systems, focusing on making nutritious diets affordable and accessible despite the withdrawal of international support.

admin · 2026-10-17 14:41:10