Table 1.

Malnutrition among mothers and children. All percentages are means for 1990-8 unless indicated otherwise^3-6

	% of infants with low birth weight* (1990-7)	% of children with wasting†	% of children with stunting‡	% of underweight children§	Rate of maternal anaemia (%)
Latin America and the Caribbean	9	3	18	10	30
Middle East and North Africa	11	8	25	18	50
Sub-Saharan Africa	15	9	41	32	50
East Asia and the Pacific	10	NA	36	22	40
South Asia:	33	18	52	51	70-80
Bangladesh	50	18	55	56	77
Bhutan	NA	4	56	38	59
India	33	18	52	53	49-87
Maldives	13	17	27	43	68
Nepal	NA	11	54	47	65
Pakistan	25	9	50	38	8-33
Sri Lanka	25	14	18	34	39-65
Developing countries	18	11	37	30	56
Industrialised countries	6	<1	<1	<1	18

NA=data not available. 

^*Low birth weight was defined as weighing <2500 g at birth. 

^†Wasting (being low weight for height) was defined as being below 2 standard deviations of the reference population. 

^‡Stunting (being low height for age) was defined as being below 2 standard deviations of the reference population. 

^§Underweight (being low weight for age) was defined as being below 2 standard deviations of reference population.