Rabat – An average of 5.6% of Morocco’s population between 2019 and 2020 suffered from a deficit in essential nutrients – – undernourishment – -, according to a recent publication in 2022 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The publication reveals that the number of undernourished individuals jumped from an average of 5.5 million between 2004 and 2006 to 5.6 million between 2019 and 2021.
The same report details that despite the low cost of following a healthy diet in Morocco, which stands at $2.7 a day, below the world average of $3.5 a day, 16.7% of Morocco’s population, or 6.2 million individuals, cannot afford to maintain a healthy diet as of 2020.
The percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet gradually decreased between 2017 and 2020, declining from 18.9% to 16.7%, FAO data indicates.
Referencing other health issues related to undernourishment, the report maintains that Morocco experienced a 2.6% rate of child wasting, children with moderate to severe risk of death as a result of being underweight, in 2020.
Child obesity is equally present among Morocco’s young population, as 11.3% of Moroccan children under the age of five suffer from obesity, according to the FAO report.
Obesity is also significantly present among the country’s adult population, as 26.1% of Morocco’s adult population (18 and older) suffered from obesity in 2016, up from 23% in 2012.
Regarding low birthweight, data from the report suggests that around 17% of newborns in Morocco were suffering from low birthweight in 2015, above North Africa’s average of 12% and that of Africa at 13%.
