Only 38 nations know whether child malnutrition is rising or falling.

In 9 of those countries, 6 of them in Africa, malnutrition has been rising in recent years.

Ups and downs

Trends in the percentage of children underweight, 38 countries with latest survey in 1990s

	Years between surveys	Most recent survey	Trend
Sub-Saharan Africa
Cameroon	13	1991	Falling
Madagascar	3	1995	Falling
Tanzania	5	1992	Falling
Ghana	5	1993	Static
Rwanda	7	1992	Static
Zambia (rural)	2	1992	Static
Ethiopia	9	1992	Rising
Kenya	6	1993	Rising
Lesotho	12	1993	Rising
Malawi	11	1992	Rising
Senegal	6	1993	Rising
Zimbabwe	6	1994	Rising
Middle East and North Africa
Iran	15	1995	Falling
Morocco	5	1992	Falling
Algeria	2	1992	Static
Egypt	2	1992	Static
Asia and Pacific
Bangladesh	2	1992	Falling
China	5	1995	Falling
Mongolia	2	1994	Falling
Myanmar	3	1994	Falling
Pakistan	13	1990	Falling
Philippines	3	1993	Falling
Viet Nam	7	1994	Falling
Malaysia	3	1993	Static
Sri Lanka	6	1993	Static
Lao Rep.	10	1994	Rising
Americas
Costa Rica	10	1992	Falling
Dominican Rep.	5	1991	Falling
El Salvador	5	1993	Falling
Guyana	2	1993	Falling
Haiti	12	1990	Falling
Honduras	5	1992	Falling
Panama	12	1992	Falling
Peru	8	1992	Falling
Chile	8	1994	Static
Nicaragua	11	1993	Static
Bolivia	5	1994	Rising
Jamaica	4	1993	Rising

NOTE: The trend is defined as static if the difference in rate between the two surveys is less than 2 percentage points.

SOURCE: ACC/SCN, preliminary estimates for Third Report on the World Nutrition Situation, 1996, forthcoming.