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Hunger · Jordan · Central

Child malnutrition in Zarqa

9.4%of children under five stunted (2023 survey)Low

Zarqa ranks 5th of 12 parts of Jordan for child stunting, above Jordan's 8.3%.

1.5%children under 5 wasted; Jordan 2.3%
2.2%children under 5 underweight; Jordan 2.5%
27%children 6-59 months anaemic; Jordan 32%

Child stunting across Jordan

The same 2023 survey, every part it reports.

  1. 1MafraqNorth15%
  2. 2Ma'anSouth13%
  3. 3TafielaSouth13%
  4. 4MadabaCentral11%
  5. 5ZarqaCentral9.4%
  6. 6AqabaSouth8.8%
  7. 7AmmanCentral7.9%
  8. 8BalqaCentral7.9%
  9. 9JarashNorth7.8%
  10. 10KarakSouth6.7%
  11. 11IrbidNorth6.6%
  12. 12AjlounNorth4.8%

Frequently asked questions

What is the child malnutrition rate in Zarqa?

In Jordan's 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, 9.4% of children under five in Zarqa were stunted (too short for their age), 1.5% wasted and 2.2% underweight.

Is malnutrition in Zarqa worse than in the rest of Jordan?

Zarqa ranks 5th of 12 for stunting in the survey, highest first, above Jordan's 8.3%.

How many children are anaemic in Zarqa?

27% of children aged 6 to 59 months in Zarqa had anaemia in 2023, below Jordan's 32%; WHO counts 40% or more as a severe public health problem.

Is there data for cities and towns in Zarqa?

The survey reports Jordan by Central and its parts, not by city, so a town or neighbourhood in Zarqa shares these figures. Local clinics and nutrition programmes keep their own records.

Source: Jordan Demographic and Health Survey 2023 (JO2023DHS), via The DHS Program, STATcompiler. Survey estimates for small regions carry wide margins; read differences of a few points as similar.

Hunger in Jordan as a whole

Undernourishment, food insecurity, the Global Hunger Index and the UN's latest estimates for the country.

Hunger in Jordan