Nigeria Records Highest Burden Of Malnutrition Among 77 Countries — Report

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) also known as Doctors Without Border, has warned that Nigeria is facing an escalating malnutrition emergency after recording more than 400,000 new cases of child malnutrition in 2025, the highest figure among the 77 countries where the organisation operates.

Speaking during the public presentation of the 2025 Nigeria Activity Highlights, in Abuja,  MSF country representative, Dr. Ahmed Aldikhari, said the numbers reflected a deepening crisis in northern Nigeria, where conflict, insecurity, inflation, displacement, flooding and drought continue to limit access to food and essential healthcare.

According to MSF’s data, 353,989 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were treated through outpatient programmes in 2025, while 90,723 children with medical complications were admitted to stabilisation centres across MSF-supported facilities. This represents a 20 per cent increase in SAM cases and a 15 per cent rise in admissions compared to 2024.

“Malnutrition is not only about lack of food. It is closely linked to preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, meningitis and malaria, which further weaken children and push them into severe malnutrition,” Aldikhari said.

He said Nigeria risks having a future population that is unhealthy both physically and mentally if urgent action is not taken, adding that MSF teams have recorded a steady rise in malnutrition cases since 2022, with 2025 hitting the worst peak so far.

Responding to questions on why Nigeria recorded the worst malnutrition figures among MSF’s 77 countries, including conflict-hit nations like Somalia, Aldikhari pointed to a combination of factors: climate shocks affecting food production in the northern “food basket,” persistent insecurity, poor infrastructure, shortages of trained health workers and gaps in government and NGO support due to global funding cuts.

He explained that MSF’s strong presence across northern states also means it captures more cases than other organisations, revealing the true scale of the crisis.

Aldikhari said MSF was currently working with the Presidency, the vice president’s office and the Ministries of Budget and Planning, Humanitarian Affairs, Health and Women’s Affairs to push for a coordinated national response.

“Last year, we convened the biggest conference on combating malnutrition in the Northwest, and governors made commitments. We are beginning to see some action, but these actions are still not enough,” he said.

He also warned of a widening global funding gap as donors withdraw, placing more responsibility on governments and communities to strengthen food systems and improve nutrition practices using local solutions like Tom Brown, a nutrient-rich blend promoted in MSF’s community programmes.

MSF’s Medical Activity Manager, Shafa’atu Abdulkadir, revealed that disease outbreaks continued to overwhelm health facilities in 2025. MSF treated 38,753 children for measles, 6,123 for diphtheria, 985 for meningitis, and 341,239 patients for malaria nationwide.

More than 300,000 children were vaccinated against measles, meningitis and diphtheria through MSF-supported campaigns.

Abdulkadir noted that outbreaks of cholera, Lassa fever, typhoid fever and diphtheria remain recurrent, especially during the rainy season, stressing that many of these illnesses are preventable through improved vaccination coverage, clean water access and early treatment.

Beyond malnutrition, MSF reported persistent gaps in maternal and newborn healthcare. In 2025, its teams assisted in over 33,500 deliveries across ten states, including Bauchi, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and newly added Kaduna.