Key data for Algeria

NCI41st HRCI6th HANCI29th
HANCI-Africa compares 45 African countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 11.7% Wasting: 4.1% Proportion of population underweight: 4.1% Source: Government of Algeria (MICS,2012)

Strong Performance

  • Policymakers in Algeria benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2018-2019.
  • The Government of Algeria has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for 93% of children in 2005.
  • 98.7% of the population of Algeria in 2017 has access to an improved drinking water source.
  • In Algeria 92.7% of women aged 15-49 were visited at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel in 2012-2013.
  • In Algeria, constitutional protection of the right to social security is strong.
  • Strong civil registration rates (99.6% in 2012-2013) potentially enable children’s access to critical public services such as health and education.

Areas for improvement

  • Spending on agriculture (4.7% of public spending in 2014), does not meet government commitments set out in the African Union’s Maputo Declaration (10% of public spending).
  • Algeria’s spending in its health sector (10.7% of public spending in 2017) does not fully meet (15%) commitments set out in the Abuja Declaration.
  • In Algeria, the law does not give women economic rights equal to men. Men and women have equal legal access to agricultural land, but this is not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Relative to other HANCI countries, Algeria’s medium/long term national development policy (Plan d’Action du gouvernment pour la mise en oeuvre du programme du Président de la République) places weak importance to nutrition.
  • Algeria does not have a separate budget line for nutrition; this prevents transparency and accountability for spending.
  • Algeria does not yet have a National Nutrition Policy/Strategy.
  • Algeria has not introduced a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism to support delivery of the National Nutrition Policy/Strategy.
  • The Government of Algeria does not promote complementary feeding practices.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
4.7%201422nd
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
10.7%2017Joint 8th
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Moderate2005Joint 27th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Moderate2004Joint 33rd
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
99.6%2012-20132nd
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Moderate2018Joint 2nd
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Moderate2016Joint 8th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
Not in Law2019Joint 16th
Constitutional right to social security
?
Yes2018Joint 1st

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
No2019Joint 39th
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
93%2005Joint 9th
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
No2019Joint 42nd
Population with access to an improved water source
?
98.7%20172nd
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
87.6%20174th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
92.7%2012-201324th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Weak2015-2019Joint 40th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
No2019Joint 33rd
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
No2019Joint 36th
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
Yes2018-2019Joint 1st
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Few Aspects Enshrined2019Joint 27th