Syrian Ministry of Health: Malnutrition cases in Syria tripled in 2023

Malnutrition cases in Syria has tripled in 2023, according to a study conducted by the Syrian Ministry of Health.

The ministry stated that the results of the national household nutrition survey “SMART 2023” showed an increase in the general malnutrition cases by three times compared to the results in 2019, with a rate of 4.8% compared to 1.7% in 2019.

The study found that the rate of underweight reached 8.1%, almost doubling from 4.9%, and the stunting rate was 16.9% compared to 12.6%.

According to Hala Dawood, the head of the Nutrition Department at the Ministry of Health, the study included 8,339 households across Syria, comprising 11,296 reproductive-age women and 7,422 children.

The rate of malnutrition among women of reproductive age was 6.6%, and exclusive breastfeeding rates significantly improved to 45.5% compared to 28.5% in 2019.

Days ago, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, confirmed that about 16.7 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, equivalent to approximately three-quarters of the population.