Peer-reviewed article
The Epidemiology of the Global Syndemic in Africa: New Evidence and Key Insights.
Reuben Simfukwe, Felix P Chilunga, Charles Agyemang ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This review synthesises epidemiological evidence from 2019 to 2025 on the overlapping crisis of undernutrition, obesity, and climate change affecting children and adults across Sub-Saharan Africa. Child stunting ranges from 9% to 46% across African countries, while obesity is rising among both adults and children. Food insecurity has increased to 282 million people, and climate shocks are disrupting food systems and pushing populations towards energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets. The evidence shows these problems co-occur within the same populations rather than occurring in sequence.
Key points
- Adult obesity in Africa reached 12% in 2022 (up from 9% in 2010), with 17% prevalence among women and 7% among men
- Three million children in Africa were affected by overweight and obesity in 2022, an increasing trend
- Child stunting ranged from 9% to 46%, wasting from 4% to 43%, and anaemia from 19% to 61% across African countries between 2019-2025
- Food insecurity increased from 17% in 2019 to 20% in 2025, affecting approximately 282 million people
- Extreme weather events affected 34 million people in Africa in 2023 alone, disrupting food systems and reinforcing reliance on energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets
Limitations
This is a narrative review synthesis that documents epidemiological patterns and trends rather than testing causal mechanisms. The document does not evaluate specific interventions or their effectiveness, and does not provide longitudinal data tracking individual children over time.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the past decade, Sub-Saharan Africa has entered a new phase in the evolution of the global syndemic of undernutrition, obesity, and climate change. Earlier reviews, largely based on evidence before 2018, documented the emergence of overlapping nutritional and environmental vulnerabilities. This review provides an updated synthesis of epidemiological evidence published between 2019 and 2025 to capture recent shifts in magnitude, distribution, and interactions of the syndemic components across Africa. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent data indicate that adult obesity prevalence in the African region reached 12% in 2022, rising from 9% in 2010, with marked sex differences of approximately 17% among women and 7% among men. Overweight and obesity among children and adolescents remain lower but are increasing, with an estimated three million children affected in 2022. At the same time, undernutrition remains highly prevalent. Between 2019 and 2025, child stunting ranged from 9% to 46%, wasting from 4% to 43%, and anaemia from 19% to 61% across countries in the African region. Food insecurity increased from 17% in 2019 to 20% in 2025, affecting approximately 282 million people. During the same period, climate-related shocks intensified. Extreme weather events affected 34 million people in Africa in 2023 alone, further disrupting food systems, reducing dietary diversity, and reinforcing reliance on energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets. Evidence now more clearly demonstrates that undernutrition, obesity, and climate stressors co-occur within the same populations and households, rather than representing sequential transitions. This update highlights advances in surveillance, analytical methods, and early warning systems since 2019, while identifying persistent gaps in longitudinal data, integration of nutrition and climate information, and policy implementation. Addressing the contemporary global syndemic in Africa requires context-specific, multisectoral strategies that prioritise double- and triple-duty actions to simultaneously reduce nutritional and climate vulnerability.