The latest 2025 Nutrition Report issued by the Sri Lanka Family Health Services Bureau has revealed alarming statistics on child malnutrition, showing that 187,714 children under the age of five in the country are underweight.
Of this number, 10,000 children are severely malnourished, while 91,000 are moderately malnourished.
According to the report, the Nuwara Eliya District records the highest number of children affected by nutritional crises in Sri Lanka.
Further findings indicate that 118,658 children under five are not of the appropriate height for their age, and 100,938 children are underweight for their height, reflecting widespread stunting and wasting issues among young children.
The report also highlights that around 1,000 children under the age of five are overweight, pointing to emerging disparities in childhood nutrition.
Health experts have urged the government to prioritize child nutrition programs and strengthen primary health care initiatives to address the crisis effectively. They emphasize the need for coordinated national efforts focusing on early intervention, awareness, and community-based nutrition support.
In addition to Nuwara Eliya, a significant number of malnourished children have been identified in the districts of Anuradhapura, Kandy, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Hambantota, Galle, Matara, Monaragala, Kalutara, Gampaha, and Colombo, underscoring that the problem spans across both rural and urban regions of the country.
