Also, see how Australia compares with other high-income countries when it comes to anaemia prevalence.
Anaemia affects nearly two billion people worldwide, yet progress towards global reduction targets is faltering and is now further threatened by looming cuts to international health funding.
A new Lancet Haematology Commissions report warns that without renewed efforts, most countries will fall well short of the 2030 target to halve anaemia prevalence.
The report highlights persistent data gaps, complex causes, and under-resourced interventions, and calls for a fundamental reset in how the global health community addresses this widespread condition.
Anaemia disproportionately affects children, adolescent girls, and women of reproductive age, with long-term consequences for maternal and child health, cognitive development, and productivity, the authors wrote.
Despite decades of guidelines and interventions, progress has stalled, and anticipated reductions in global health funding in 2025 threaten to erode even the limited gains achieved.
One of the Commission’s central concerns is the paucity of reliable and comprehensive data. While many countries track anaemia among women and young children, older adults, men, and other vulnerable groups are often excluded, and few national surveys measure both prevalence and underlying causes.
“We call for the creation of a standardised global data repository and the development of a harmonised micronutrient survey platform to collect comprehensive, data periodically,” the authors wrote.
“We also recommend better integration of data across several sources, including household surveys, and the inclusion of haemoglobin assessment in existing survey platforms that already collect venous blood.
“Continued financial support and coordination of Demographic and Health Surveys are crucial, especially considering potential reductions in USA funding for global data initiatives.”
The Commission noted that anaemia was not solely an iron deficiency disorder but the result of multiple, interacting factors including other micronutrient deficiencies, infection, inflammation, blood loss, and inherited blood disorders.
Environmental contributors, such as air pollution and climate change, are also increasingly recognised. Priority areas for research include optimising iron dosing and formulations, combining micronutrient interventions effectively, improving fortification and biofortification strategies, and evaluating non-nutritional interventions such as delayed cord clamping, infection control, and better management of heavy menstrual bleeding and postpartum haemorrhage.
Effective implementation of anaemia programs required stronger governance at global, national, and subnational levels, with closer integration of anaemia-related strategies into wider nutrition and health plans. Equity and human rights must remain central to these efforts, the authors said.
The Commission also challenged the validity of current targets, arguing that the global aim of a 50% reduction by 2030 was unachievable with available interventions.
Instead, it proposes a new evidence-based framework grounded in health economic modelling, which balances ambition with achievability and allows for country-specific goals. Preliminary analysis suggests a more realistic global reduction of 12–22% by 2030, with substantial variation by context.
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“Reducing the burden of anaemia requires a comprehensive, multisectoral approach that considers its complex causes and varied effects across populations,” the authors wrote.
“By adopting the recommendations outlined in this Commission – including improved data systems, more targeted research, integrated program implementation, and evidence-based target-setting – the global health community can renew momentum towards meaningful anaemia reduction.
“Progress will require sustained political commitment, increased investment, and coordinated action from governments, international agencies, civil society, and researchers.
“As the global health agenda evolves beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the insights and strategies presented in this Commission offer a roadmap for a more effective, equitable, and sustainable approach to tackling anaemia worldwide.”
In a supplementary appendix, the Commission listed country-specific, economic and epidemiological data that included the prevalence of anaemia.
Australia fared well compared to some other high-income countries with an anaemia prevalence of 8.86%. The US had a prevalence of 49.98%, while the UK was on par with Australia (8.33%).
Other high-income countries’ prevalence of anaemia included the United Arab Emirates (50.35%), Switzerland (40.82%), Sweden (44.45%), South Korea (21.29%), Singapore (33%), Saudi Arabia (37.65%), Poland (22.84%), Portugal (9.27%), Norway (6.93%). New Zealand (8.78%), Netherlands (7.9%), Malta (59.64%), Japan (35.52%), Israel (7.61%), Italy (9.69%), Ireland (30.82%), Germany (25.23%), France (7.29%), Denmark (46.31%), Canada (12.26%), Belgium (7.15%), and Austria (7.86%).
