India vs Low & middle income: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height

India
18.7%
in 2020
Low & middle income
6.9%
in 2024
India rank
1st
Low & middle income rank
4th

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height over time

  • India
  • Low & middle income
5101520198920062024

How they compare

India currently reports 18.7% against 6.9% in Low & middle income, a difference of 11.8%.

That makes India's figure about 2.7 times Low & middle income's.

Across all 5 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.

India ranks 1st and Low & middle income ranks 4th of 99 countries.

India has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India Low & middle income Difference Ahead
2000s 20.0% 8.6% 11.4% India
2010s 17.6% 7.4% 10.2% India
2020s 18.7% 7.0% 11.7% India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of wasting, weight for height, India or Low & middle income?
India, at 18.7% against 6.9% in Low & middle income as of 2020.
What is the difference in prevalence of wasting, weight for height between India and Low & middle income?
11.8%, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and Low & middle income?
5 years are reported by both, from 2006 to 2020.
How do India and Low & middle income rank globally for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
India ranks 1st and Low & middle income ranks 4th of 99 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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India vs Low & middle income: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/india/low-and-middle-income/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/india/low-and-middle-income/">India vs Low & middle income: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
113 places, 1,312 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of wasting is the proportion of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months.