According to the preliminary results of the national nutrition survey SMART 2026, recently published, nearly one in thirteen children aged 6 to 59 months in Haiti is affected by acute malnutrition. Consequently, the prevalence of acute malnutrition, considered based on moderate or severe wasting as well as nutritional edema, is increasing between 2023 and 2026, rising from 7.4% to 5.1% in Haiti, in a context of prolonged security crisis and economic difficulties.

This national survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) through the National Food and Nutrition Program Coordination Unit (UCPNaNu) with technical and financial support from UNICEF shows, despite the worsening trends in acute malnutrition, some positive points. "The prevalence of chronic malnutrition, or stunting, among children under five years old decreased from 22.9% in 2023 to 17.3% in 2026, the early breastfeeding rate increased from 48% in 2023 to 68% in 2026, and the exclusive breastfeeding rate increased from 17.5% to 33%," states UNICEF's press release.