Democratic Republic of the Congo: Nutrition Profile

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Medical staff examine a child for signs of malnourishment in DRC
  • DRC

    Flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Population

    78.7 Million

  • Pop. Under 5

    14.5 Million

  • % Stunting

    43% Of Children Under 5

  • % Underweight

    23% Of Children Under 5

Photo credit: Russell Watkins/Department for International Development

Malnutrition in childhood and pregnancy has many adverse consequences for child survival and long-term well-being. It also has far-reaching consequences for human capital, economic productivity, and national development overall. These consequences of malnutrition should be a significant concern for policy makers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where over six million children under 5 (43 percent) suffer from chronic malnutrition (stunting or low height-for-age), according to the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).

USAID Programs: Accelerating Progress in Nutrition

As of January 2018, the following USAID programs with a focus on nutrition were active in DRC.

  • Feed the Future, Strengthening Value Chains (SVC) Activity
  • Food for Peace (FFP) Tuendelee Pamoja II
  • FFP South Kivu Food Security Project
  • FFP Budikadidi Project
  • Food for Peace Humanitarian Assistance Activities
  • U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Centers for Disease Control, Project Kimia
  • PEPFAR/USAID, Enhancing Services and Linkages for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (ELIKIA)
  • PEPFAR/USAID, Coordinating Comprehensive Care for Children (4Children)
  • Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP)

 

For more information, read the Democratic Republic of the Congo country profile [PDF, 250KB].