Bangladesh's first IPC Acute Malnutrition (AMN) analysis finds that approximately 1.6 million children aged 6 to 59 months are suffering or expected to suffer acute malnutrition between January and December 2025, including 143,850 children facing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). Around 117,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women (PBW) are suffering or expected to suffer acute malnutrition in the same period. The districts most affected are Bhola, Cox’s Bazar, Bagerhat, Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Kurigram and Bhashanchar where food insecurity is more prevalent.

Multiple underlying and contributing factors continue to affect the nutritional status of children under the age of five, as well as PBW, and other vulnerable populations including displaced people and their host communities. These include inadequate food intake, alarmingly low lack of dietary diversity, childhood illnesses (endemic diarrhoea, acute watery, childhood fever), and poor WASH conditions. Acute food insecurity also limits access to nutritious foods, while recurrent shocks, such as floods and cyclones, have disrupted essential health, nutrition, and WASH services, deepening household vulnerability.

The first AMN analysis in Bangladesh covered 18 districts across seven divisions, as well as the Rohingya refugee populations in Cox’s Bazar and Bhashanchar camps. For the current period of analysis (January-April, 2025) 11 districts were classified in IPC AMN Phase 3 (Serious), and seven districts were classified in IPC AMN Phase 2 (Alert). Among the refugee population, Cox’s Bazar was classified in IPC AMN Phase 3 and Bhashanchar in IPC AMN Phase 2. For the projected period (May–December 2025), five districts currently in IPC AMN Phase 2 are projected to shift to IPC AMN Phase 3, while the majority of areas in IPC AMN Phase 3 are expected to experience a deterioration in the nutritional status of children and PBW. 

• Improve nutrition services and healthcare: Implement community-based prevention and management of wasting through integration into primary healthcare services. This requires adapting national CMAM guidelines in line with the latest WHO recommendations. Strengthen the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) within primary healthcare by enhancing access, coverage, and quality of services.
• Improve feeding practices: Improve access to diversified foods through integrated multi-sectoral nutrition specific and sensitive interventions including social protection programs for vulnerable households. Also promote and support infant and young childcare and feeding practices by placing more emphasis on social and behaviour change strategies.
• Improve water, sanitation and hygiene: Improve coverage of WASH services such as access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities particularly in high-risk and disaster-prone areas. Promote and support better hygiene practices related to infant and young childcare and feeding practices (hand washing, mosquitos net use, feces and waste management, home food safety practices, etc.).
• Establish a robust nutrition information system: Incorporating seasonal surveys, surveillance, and routine program data (e.g., MIS), to monitor the nutrition situation. Strengthen real-time early warning systems by integrating risk-informed programming and contingency planning. Enhance nutrition surveillance in districts to accurately assess needs and guide evidence-based response planning.