To monitor nutrition policies and programs, Niger has carried out a series of annual surveys on malnutrition in children under five at national level (known as SMART surveys) since 2005. The SMART 2021 survey was used for this study.
These analyses reveal malnutrition rates ranging from 42.5% to 51%, and a prevalence of chronic malnutrition of 43.5% in 2021. An analysis of trends by region of residence categorizes the regions into three groups: the capital Niamey, whose rates do not reach the critical threshold of 30% over the entire period; regions with intermediate rates, such as Dosso and Tillabery, which have rates between 30% and 40%; and regions with high prevalence, such as Maradi, Zinder, Diffa and Tahoua, which most often have rates in excess of 40%.
