2.2.2a Prevalence of wasting among children under 5 (%) by country
Countries reporting
62
Highest
18.7
India
Lowest
0.1
United States
Median
4.55
Years covered
23
2000–2022
Data points
500
What the numbers show
2.2.2a Prevalence of wasting among children under 5 (%) is currently reported for 62 countries. The highest value is 18.7 in India; the lowest is 0.1 in United States.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.55, and the mean is 5.3.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 187.
Over the past decade 16 countries rose and 44 fell. The largest increase was in Ecuador (up 76.2%), and the largest decrease in United States (down 83.3%).
2.2.2a Prevalence of wasting among children under 5 (%): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 18.7 | 2020 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | 15.1 | 2016 | down 0.7% | rising |
| 3 | Mauritania | 13.6 | 2022 | up 16.2% | falling |
| 4 | Niger | 10.9 | 2022 | down 40.1% | falling |
| 5 | Mali | 10.6 | 2022 | up 1.9% | falling |
| 6 | Indonesia | 10.2 | 2018 | down 31.1% | rising |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 9.8 | 2019 | down 44.0% | falling |
| 8 | Burkina Faso | 9.7 | 2021 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 9 | Cambodia | 9.6 | 2021 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 10 | Guinea | 9.2 | 2018 | up 27.8% | falling |
| 11 | Laos | 9 | 2017 | up 21.6% | falling |
| 12 | East Timor | 8.3 | 2020 | down 56.1% | falling |
| 12 | Chad | 8.3 | 2022 | down 49.1% | falling |
| 14 | Senegal | 8.1 | 2019 | down 17.3% | falling |
| 15 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.8 | 2019 | up 32.2% | falling |
| 16 | Nepal | 7.7 | 2022 | down 31.2% | falling |
| 17 | Myanmar | 7.4 | 2018 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 18 | Ethiopia | 6.8 | 2019 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 18 | Philippines | 6.8 | 2015 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 18 | Ghana | 6.8 | 2017 | up 13.3% | falling |
| 21 | Guyana | 6.5 | 2019 | up 18.2% | falling |
| 21 | Nigeria | 6.5 | 2020 | down 36.3% | falling |
| 23 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 6.4 | 2017 | down 38.5% | falling |
| 24 | Sierra Leone | 6.3 | 2021 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 25 | Togo | 5.7 | 2017 | down 5.0% | flat |
| 26 | Tajikistan | 5.6 | 2017 | down 18.8% | volatile |
| 27 | Central African Republic | 5.2 | 2019 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 28 | Gambia | 5.1 | 2020 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 29 | Burundi | 4.9 | 2022 | down 18.3% | falling |
| 29 | Kenya | 4.9 | 2022 | down 18.3% | falling |
| 31 | Vietnam | 4.7 | 2020 | up 14.6% | falling |
| 32 | Saudi Arabia | 4.4 | 2020 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 33 | Cameroon | 4.3 | 2018 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 34 | Venezuela | 4.1 | 2009 | up 5.1% | flat |
| 35 | Mozambique | 3.9 | 2020 | down 36.1% | falling |
| 36 | Ecuador | 3.7 | 2019 | up 76.2% | rising |
| 37 | Uganda | 3.6 | 2020 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 38 | Liberia | 3.4 | 2019 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 39 | Russia | 3.3 | 2005 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 39 | Tanzania | 3.3 | 2022 | down 46.8% | falling |
| 41 | Jamaica | 3.2 | 2018 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 41 | Azerbaijan | 3.2 | 2013 | unchanged | falling |
| 43 | Iraq | 3 | 2018 | down 48.3% | falling |
| 44 | Zimbabwe | 2.9 | 2019 | up 20.8% | falling |
| 45 | Algeria | 2.7 | 2019 | down 34.1% | volatile |
| 46 | North Korea | 2.5 | 2017 | down 51.9% | falling |
| 47 | Kuwait | 2.3 | 2020 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 48 | Dominican Republic | 2.2 | 2019 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 49 | Malawi | 2.1 | 2020 | down 47.5% | volatile |
| 50 | Eswatini | 2 | 2014 | down 31.0% | falling |
| 50 | Kyrgyzstan | 2 | 2018 | up 42.9% | falling |
| 52 | China | 1.9 | 2017 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 53 | Mexico | 1.7 | 2021 | up 6.2% | volatile |
| 54 | Uruguay | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 55 | Palestine | 1.3 | 2020 | down 60.6% | falling |
| 56 | Rwanda | 1.1 | 2020 | down 62.1% | volatile |
| 57 | Mongolia | 0.9 | 2018 | down 43.8% | volatile |
| 58 | Guatemala | 0.8 | 2021 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 59 | Peru | 0.4 | 2021 | up 0.0% | falling |
| 60 | Chile | 0.3 | 2014 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 61 | South Korea | 0.2 | 2020 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 62 | United States | 0.1 | 2018 | down 83.3% | volatile |