Children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria

Nigeria: Children aged <5 years wasted for age was 7.9% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
7.9%
Change on year
down 56.4%
World rank
24th
of 77 countries
All-time high
22.7%
in 1983
All-time low
7.9%
in 2014
Years of data
10
1983–2014

Children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria, 1983–2014

101520251983199820141983: 22.71990: 11.81993: 20.61999: 17.62003: 11.22007: 13.42008: 14.42011: 10.22013: 18.12014: 7.9

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 7.9% for children aged <5 years wasted for age in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of down 56.4% on the previous year and down 29.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria peaked at 22.7% in 1983 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2014.

Nigeria ranks 24th of 77 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Children aged <5 years wasted for age (%) in Nigeria, 1983 to 2014.
Year Value Change
1983 22.7%
1990 11.8% -48.0%
1993 20.6% +74.6%
1999 17.6% -14.6%
2003 11.2% -36.4%
2007 13.4% +19.6%
2008 14.4% +7.5%
2011 10.2% -29.2%
2013 18.1% +77.5%
2014 7.9% -56.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 22.7% 22.7% 22.7% 1
1990s 16.7% 11.8% 20.6% 3
2000s 13.0% 11.2% 14.4% 3
2010s 12.1% 7.9% 18.1% 3

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 21 Sierra Leone 9.4% compare
  2. 22 Ethiopia 8.7% compare
  3. 23 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 8.1% compare
  4. 24 Myanmar 7.9% compare
  5. 24 Philippines 7.9% compare
  6. 27 Côte d'Ivoire 7.6% compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More health data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria?
Children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria was 7.9% in 2014, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest children aged <5 years wasted for age recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 1983.
What is the lowest children aged <5 years wasted for age recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2014.
How does Nigeria rank for children aged <5 years wasted for age?
Nigeria ranks 24th out of 77 countries with data for 2014.
Is children aged <5 years wasted for age rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Children aged <5 years wasted for age (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children aged <5 years wasted for age in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/children-aged-5-years-wasted-for-age-percent/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Children aged <5 years wasted for age (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
77 places, 594 data points, 1966–2015
Last refreshed