Global nutrition targets 2025 - low birth weight

Child malnutrition is a major public health issue worldwide.  An estimated 144 million children under age 5 are stunted, 47 million are wasted and 38.3 million are overweight or obese. Around 45% of deaths among children under 5 years of age are linked to undernutrition.

Measuring the growth of infants and children is an important part of child health surveillance. Inadequate infant growth due to poor nutrition leads to under-nutrition in children in many developing countries, which, if followed later in life by an increased intake of calories, can result in overweight or obesity.

The WHO Child Growth Standards are a diagnostic tool used to monitor and assess the nutritional status of infants and young children worldwide. By tracking children’s height and body weight, the standards detect children or populations not growing properly or under- or overweight, and who may require specific medical or public health responses.

The WHO standards have charts for boys and girls separated, covering age birth to 5 years. They are used in doctors’ offices, clinics and other health facilities, and by research institutions, child health advocacy organizations and ministries of health