Global Food Projections to 2020:
Emerging Trends and Alternative Futures

Child Malnutrition

• In the late 1990's there were 166 million malnourished children around the world.
• If today's policies and practices continue, there will still be 132 million malnourished children worldwide in 2020. This is nearly seven times the number of children below age five in the United States.
• Each year, malnutrition plays a role in more than half of the nearly 12 million deaths of children under five in developing countries.
• Due to poor diet and disease, in 2000, 32.5% of children in developing countries suffered from stunting, or below normal height for their age.
• Undernourished children are more susceptible to severe illnesses, have difficulty learning in school, do not reach their full height, and have trouble with coordination and mobility. These problems often continue into adulthood.