ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Regional overview of food security and nutrition 2021: Statistics and trends

2.4 Anaemia among women of reproductive age

The prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age (SDG Indicator 2.2.3) in Asia and the Pacific was 32.9 percent in 2019. This is approximately 1 percentage point lower than in 2000, indicating very slow progress during the past two decades. The regional figure is also higher than the global average of 29.9 percent. The prevalence of anaemia is the highest in Southern Asia, where almost half of women aged 15 to 49 have anaemia (48.2 percent). In Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, 33.9 percent of women of reproductive age are anaemic, followed by 27.2 percent in South-eastern Asia and 16.1 percent in Eastern Asia. Given the lack of progress in most countries since 2000, the region is off track to reach the SDG target of a 50 percent reduction in the prevalence of anaemia.