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SummaryNeeds for surgical care are growing in low-and middle-income countries. Existing surgical care capacity indicators, focusing on the availability of equipment, personnel, and operation and anaesthetic skills, are not intended to evaluate perioperative nutrition management, which influences surgical outcomes. In this narrative review, we describe the prevalence of malnutrition and its clinical consequences among surgical patients in low-and middle-income countries, suggest potential measures to improve nutrition management and discuss the necessity of considering nutrition management as a component of surgical care capacity.