One Thousand and One Nights’ Struggle for Survival: Tales of Child Undernourishment in Arab Countries

Abstract

This study evaluates young children’s developmental opportunities and anthropometric outcomes across 16 low- and middle-income Arab countries during 2004-2015. We find that disproportionately many children become stunted and underweight, particularly in less developed countries including Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan, but also in the higher-income Iraq and Morocco. Within countries, significant dissimilarities exist in children’s opportunities across different socio-economic strata. These gaps must be tackled by a variety of measures at the local, national and international levels –with buyin from families, local organizations and authorities– including universal pre/post-natal care, immunization, and nutrient supplementation at critical points in children’s development.