More than 41 per cent of women in Pakistan suffer from anaemia, with 14.4 per cent being underweight and 24 per cent being overweight, Pakistan-based Dawn reported, citing a report.

Maternal nutrition is so inadequate that 186 women die per 100,000 live births. Substandard breastfeeding contributes to 2,000 maternal deaths annually from breast and ovarian cancer and 1,100 deaths from Type II diabetes. Pakistan also reports 1.4 million cases of low birth weight each year.

The report, titled ‘Cost of Inaction Tool,’ developed by Nutrition International, was presented at the ‘National Policy Dialogue on the Economic Case for Maternal Nutrition,’ organized by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) in Bhurban, Pakistan, Dawn reported.

According to the report, Pakistan incurs an annual loss of USD 17 billion due to undernutrition, which is about 1 per cent of global income.

The report also noted that Pakistan faces 918,154 cases of anaemia among expectant mothers each year. The country ranks fourth in anaemia prevalence among adolescent girls and women in eight South Asian countries and 35th globally out of 201 countries.

Additionally, inadequate breastfeeding results in an economic burden of USD 28 billion, caused by 6.9 million cases of diarrhoea, 19,000 instances of childhood obesity, 30,525 child deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia, and 3,196 maternal deaths from breast and ovarian cancer and Type II diabetes, according to Dawn report.

Earlier, reports from the Pakistan National Cluster have highlighted a severe malnutrition crisis, showcasing a dire picture of the nutritional status of millions of Pakistanis, especially children.

The report underscores that Pakistan is experiencing the highest rates of malnutrition in its history, driven by factors such as economic hardship, food insecurity, limited healthcare access, and climate and environmental challenges. The report states the situation is quite dire in Pakistan, with stunting and wasting heavily prevalent in the country.