A large-scale survey of children under five in Nepal has revealed alarming levels of malnutrition, raising fears that decades of progress in reducing child mortality are at risk. The findings come just over a year after USAID, the US agency closed in 2025, ended its nutrition funding in the country.
Survey reveals high wasting rates
More than one million children aged six months to five years were weighed and measured during a government screening programme in May. The World Health Organization considers wasting rates—children underweight for their height—of 10% or above as 'high' and requiring immediate intervention.
In Madhesh province near the Indian border, wasting reached 12.3%, and 24.2% of children were underweight for their age. Nationally, 7.8% suffered from wasting, 1.6% from severe wasting, and 17.4% were underweight.
Expert warns of backsliding
Pooja Pandey Rana, country director for Helen Keller Intl in Nepal, said the screening covered only about half of the eligible children, suggesting rates in remote areas could be higher. 'If you are malnourished, your risk of dying, compared to a child who is not malnourished, is 12 times higher,' she said. 'What we’re seeing is alarming rate of acute malnutrition in Nepal.'
Nepal had reduced under-five mortality by 72% between 1996 and 2022. 'The worry we have is we are now backsliding,' Pandey Rana added.
Impact of aid cuts
Helen Keller Intl was set to receive $72 million from USAID over five years from 2025 to deliver nutrition programmes for nearly 9 million people in 48 districts. It has only secured under $5 million from other donors, reaching 223,000 people in nine districts.
The funding halt disrupted community outreach, including health workers identifying children needing treatment. 'We saw this sudden, abrupt halt. In the last 14 months, we have seen this breakdown of systems where you have RUTF, but we don’t have families coming in,' Pandey Rana said.
Broader challenges
Pandey Rana stressed that reducing malnutrition requires an integrated approach addressing gender equality and clean water access. Rising food prices compound the problem: 'The price of two eggs is equal to a kilogram of rice. What would you choose, if you’re a food-insecure family?'
A Unicef spokesperson in Nepal noted that supplies remain insufficient, with only about 35% of affected children receiving treatment.
