Micronutrient deficiencies remain widespread, especially among young children and women of reproductive age. Recent global estimates show that more than half of children under 5 and more than two-thirds of non-pregnant women of reproductive age are deficient in at least one key micronutrient, while anaemia affects hundreds of millions of people. The figures below cover different years, populations, and measurement methods, so each period and geography matters when making comparisons.
Contents
- Global prevalence and vulnerable groups
- Anaemia trends and regional burden
- Biochemical deficiency indicators in the United States
- Vitamin A and iodine indicators
- Findings from Somalia’s national survey
- Dietary deprivation and deficiency risk
Global prevalence and vulnerable groups
Micronutrient deficiency is not one condition. It refers to inadequate amounts of vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, vitamin A, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, iodine, and vitamin E. The populations and nutrients measured differ across surveys, but the available global estimates point to a substantial burden.
The World Health Organization’s Healthy diet page reported that more than 50% of children under 5 were deficient in at least one key micronutrient, typically iron, zinc, vitamin A, or folate. The same page reported deficiency in at least one key micronutrient among more than 66% of non-pregnant women of reproductive age. These are the latest global estimates reported on a page published in 2025; they are not a single nutrient test and should not be read as the prevalence of one specific deficiency.
Anaemia provides another broad indicator connected with micronutrient status, although anaemia can have multiple causes. WHO’s Micronutrients page reports that an estimated 42% of children under 5 and 40% of pregnant women worldwide were affected by anaemia. The page also reports that about 66% of households globally had access to iodized salt; the year for that estimate is not specified on the page.
WHO’s Anaemia in women and children data provide more precisely dated figures. In 2023, anaemia prevalence was 30.7% among women aged 15–49 worldwide, including 35.5% among pregnant women and 30.5% among non-pregnant women. For children aged 6–59 months, the reported prevalence was 39.8% in 2019.
The scale can also be expressed as estimated numbers of people. WHO’s Anaemia fact sheet reported that anaemia affected an estimated 571 million women and 269 million young children worldwide in 2019. Because these figures refer to a specific estimate and period, they should not be combined arithmetically with percentages from other years.
Anaemia trends and regional burden
Longer-term figures show a mixed pattern: global prevalence among women declined modestly, while the estimated number of affected women increased. The World health statistics 2023 – Monitoring health for the SDGs reported global anaemia prevalence of 31.2% among women aged 15–49 in 2000 and 29.9% in 2019. Over the same period, the estimated number of affected women rose from 492.9 million to 570.8 million.
In 2019, prevalence was 36.5% among pregnant women aged 15–49 and 29.6% among non-pregnant women in that age range. The severity profile also changed between 2000 and 2019: mild anaemia increased from 15.5% to 16.2%, while moderate anaemia declined from 14.1% to 12.7% and severe anaemia declined from 1.7% to 1.0%.
Regional results in the same source illustrate why a global average can hide large differences:
| Region or population | Anaemia prevalence or change | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Western Pacific Region | 22.6% to 16.4% | 2000–2019 |
| African Region | 46.3% to 40.4% | 2000–2019 |
| Region of the Americas | 19.2% to 15.4% | 2000–2019 |
| South-East Asia Region | 46.6% | 2019 |
| Women aged 15–49 worldwide | 31.2% to 29.9% | 2000–2019 |
These are anaemia indicators rather than direct measurements of every micronutrient deficiency. Iron deficiency is an important contributor, but anaemia can also reflect other nutritional, infectious, inflammatory, genetic, or medical factors. Regional comparisons therefore describe burden, not a complete diagnosis of its causes.
Biochemical deficiency indicators in the United States
The Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition in the U.S. Population 2012 presents older U.S. biomarker data from NHANES 2003–2006. These results are useful for showing how prevalence varies by nutrient and population group, but they should not be treated as current 2026 estimates.
Among U.S. people older than 1 year, the reported prevalence was 10.5% for vitamin B6 deficiency, 8.1% for vitamin D deficiency, and 2% for vitamin B12 deficiency. Among people older than 6 years, vitamin C deficiency was 6%. Vitamin A and vitamin E deficiency were each below 1% among people older than 6 years, while folate deficiency was below 1% among people older than 1 year.
Age and sex differences were also reported. Iron deficiency affected 9.5% of U.S. women aged 12–49 years and 6.7% of children aged 1–5 years. Vitamin B12 deficiency was below 1% among U.S. children and adolescents, compared with 4% among older adults. Vitamin C deficiency was 7% in men and 5% in women.
Vitamin D showed a large difference across the racial and ethnic categories used in that report: prevalence was 31% among non-Hispanic Black people, 12% among Mexican-American people, and 3% among non-Hispanic White people. These categories and estimates belong to the NHANES 2003–2006 measurement period.
The report also documented a major change associated with folic acid fortification. Folate deficiency among U.S. women of childbearing age fell from about 10–12% before fortification to below 1% after fortification, with the comparison presented as before 1998 versus 1999–2006. This is a historical comparison, not an independently verified contemporary estimate.
Vitamin A and iodine indicators
Vitamin A deficiency is especially important for young children in settings where diets and supplementation coverage leave gaps. UNICEF’s Vitamin A Deficiency in Children reported that vitamin A deficiency affected about 33% of children aged 6–59 months globally in 2013. The reported prevalence was 48% in sub-Saharan Africa and 44% in South Asia.
Intervention coverage was measured separately from deficiency prevalence. In 2023, two high-dose vitamin A supplements reached 75% of targeted children. South Asia and West and Central Africa each reached 83% coverage for the recommended two doses. Across 64 priority countries, 20 achieved at least 80% two-dose coverage. Coverage percentages indicate reach among targeted children; they do not mean that the same percentage had or avoided deficiency.
Iodized salt is another population-level intervention indicator. UNICEF’s Micronutrients source reports an estimate that 66% of households globally had access to iodized salt. The source page does not specify the estimate’s year. Access to iodized salt is an intervention and availability measure, not a direct estimate of iodine deficiency in every household.
Findings from Somalia’s national survey
The Somalia micronutrient survey 2019 measured data collected from December 2018 through July 2019. More than 40% of women surveyed and more than 40% of children surveyed were anaemic. More than 26% of surveyed Somali women and children had iron-deficiency anaemia.
The same survey reported vitamin A deficiency in 34% of surveyed children and 11% of surveyed women. These figures describe the surveyed population and collection period; they should not be generalized automatically to all people in Somalia or compared as if they came from the same design as global estimates.
The survey’s results show why a country-level micronutrient profile benefits from looking beyond one headline measure. Anaemia prevalence was above 40% in both groups, but the reported iron-deficiency anaemia figure was more than 26%, and vitamin A deficiency differed between children and women. Different tests and definitions capture different parts of nutritional status.
Dietary deprivation and deficiency risk
Limited dietary variety can reduce opportunities to obtain many vitamins and minerals, particularly during early childhood. UNICEF’s Child Food Poverty 2024 estimated that about 181 million children under 5 were living in severe child food poverty in 2022.
The distribution was not limited to the poorest households. About 84 million children, or 46%, lived in the two poorest wealth quintiles, while about 97 million, or 54%, lived in middle or upper wealth quintiles. This distinction matters because severe child food poverty can occur across income groups.
The foods reported for children in severe child food poverty were heavily concentrated in a narrow set of categories. About 80% were fed only breastmilk or dairy products and/or a starchy staple. Less than 10% were fed fruits and vegetables, and less than 5% were fed eggs, meat, poultry, or fish. These figures describe food-group exposure and do not by themselves diagnose a vitamin or mineral deficiency, but they indicate dietary patterns associated with lower variety.
Prevalence also differed by the surrounding stunting context. Severe child food poverty affected 32% of children in countries with high stunting prevalence, compared with 11% in countries with low stunting prevalence. The odds of stunting were 34% higher among children affected by severe child food poverty than among other children. This is an association reported by UNICEF, not proof that food poverty alone caused each child’s outcome.
In the comparable trend sample, severe child food poverty declined globally from 34% to 31% between 2012 and 2022. West and Central Africa fell from 42% to 32%; Eastern and Southern Africa fell from 30% to 29%; and South Asia fell from 39% to 38%. East Asia and the Pacific moved in the opposite direction, rising from 12% to 13%. Across 64 countries with trend data, 21 achieved a statistically significant reduction over approximately the same period.