By Wezzie Gausi:
One in every eight children under the age of five in Malawi is suffering from severe stunting, a new national survey has revealed.
The Sixth Integrated Household Survey (IHS6) 2024-25—which the National Statistical Office (NSO) has released—shows that severe stunting affects 12.7 percent of children under five years of age.
The survey also found that 2.4 percent of children are severely underweight while 1 percent suffer from severe wasting.
“Child undernutrition remains a concern, with severe stunting at 12.7 percent, severe underweight at 2.4 percent, and severe wasting at 1.0 percent among children under five,” the report reads.
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The findings come amid widespread food insecurity affecting households across the country.
According to the survey, only 11.4 percent of households were classified as highly food secure.
“Food insecurity is acute, only 11.4 percent of households were highly food secure, while 65.8 percent fell into the very low food security category and a further 20.6 percent into the low food security category, meaning over 86 percent of households face some degree of food insecurity,” the report states.
Commenting on the findings, health rights activist Maziko Matemba said the figures were “worrying”.
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“It is sad that Malawi, a country well known for grain production, continues to record high levels of child malnutrition. These findings show that having food in the country does not necessarily mean that children are accessing nutritious meals,” Matemba said.
The survey further shows that 67 percent of households reported inadequate access to food while 56.4 percent reported inadequate access to healthcare, with 54.6 percent of households reporting inadequate housing.
Conducted between July 2024 and July 2025, the survey collected information on welfare, health, education, agriculture, food security and other socio-economic indicators and is expected to inform government policies and development interventions.
