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title: "2.3.2. Prevalence of malnutrition"
canonical: "https://wiki.groenkennisnet.nl/space/CPC/11993319/2.3.2.%20Prevalence%20of%20malnutrition"
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Two billion people lack key micronutrients like iron and vitamin A worldwide. Another 2 billion adults are overweight or obese. 815 million people go to bed hungry each night. 88% of countries face a serious burden of either two or three forms of malnutrition.

An overview of the estimated percentage of people suffering from one of the 4 main micronutrient deficiencies worldwide is shown in [2.3.2. Prevalence of malnutrition#Table 2.3](#Table 2.3).

![Table 2.3](media://8dbca5f6-1921-4dff-b698-22e95605e2c5)

###### <span style="color: #5e6c84">Table 2.3: Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (1995-2005), iodine deficiency (2013), inadequate zinc intake (2005), and iron deficiency anaemia (2011). (Table copied from Black et al. 2013).</span>

Young children and pregnant women are among the most vulnerable for malnutrition. Although the problem of micronutrient deficiencies affects more people in low- and middle-income countries, we also see problematic percentages of deficiencies in Europe, where iodine deficiency is even estimated to affect 44.2% of population.

> ℹ️ #### References
> ℹ️ 
> ℹ️ Black RE, Victora CG, Walker SP, et al. 2013. Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet 382: 427–451. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60937-X.