Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) by country
Prevalence of severe wasting, female, is the proportion of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months.
Countries reporting
84
Highest
7.1%
India
Lowest
0.0%
Peru
Median
0.9%
Years covered
39
1986–2024
Data points
738
What the numbers show
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) is currently reported for 84 countries. The highest value is 7.1% in India; the lowest is 0.0% in Peru.
The median across all reporting countries is 0.9%, and the mean is 1.1%.
Over the past decade 25 countries rose and 54 fell. The largest increase was in Türkiye (up 800.0%), and the largest decrease in Korea (down 100.0%).
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 7.1% | 2020 | up 12.7% | flat |
| 2 | Oman | 4.2% | 2017 | up 500.0% | volatile |
| 3 | Yemen | 3.9% | 2022 | up 69.6% | falling |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 2.8% | 2016 | unchanged | rising |
| 5 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2.7% | 2023 | up 80.0% | volatile |
| 6 | Nigeria | 2.6% | 2021 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 7 | Sierra Leone | 2.4% | 2021 | up 71.4% | volatile |
| 8 | Benin | 2.2% | 2021 | up 175.0% | volatile |
| 9 | Pakistan | 2.1% | 2018 | down 61.1% | falling |
| 9 | Mauritania | 2.1% | 2022 | up 61.5% | volatile |
| 11 | Russian Federation | 2.0% | 2005 | up 81.8% | volatile |
| 11 | Cambodia | 2.0% | 2021 | down 35.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Armenia | 1.9% | 2016 | down 17.4% | volatile |
| 13 | Thailand | 1.9% | 2022 | up 11.8% | rising |
| 13 | Guyana | 1.9% | 2019 | up 111.1% | flat |
| 13 | Niger | 1.9% | 2022 | up 5.6% | volatile |
| 13 | Côte d'Ivoire | 1.9% | 2021 | up 137.5% | volatile |
| 18 | Maldives | 1.8% | 2017 | down 30.8% | falling |
| 18 | Bangladesh | 1.8% | 2022 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 18 | Indonesia | 1.8% | 2023 | down 71.0% | volatile |
| 21 | Cameroon | 1.6% | 2018 | down 20.0% | falling |
| 22 | Egypt | 1.5% | 2021 | down 58.3% | volatile |
| 23 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.4% | 2019 | up 40.0% | volatile |
| 23 | Burundi | 1.4% | 2024 | down 53.3% | volatile |
| 23 | Zambia | 1.4% | 2018 | down 41.7% | falling |
| 26 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 1.3% | 2023 | down 45.8% | falling |
| 26 | Central African Republic | 1.3% | 2022 | up 18.2% | volatile |
| 28 | Viet Nam | 1.2% | 2010 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 29 | Guinea | 1.1% | 2022 | down 71.1% | falling |
| 29 | Chad | 1.1% | 2022 | down 79.6% | falling |
| 29 | Tajikistan | 1.1% | 2023 | down 71.8% | volatile |
| 29 | Timor-Leste | 1.1% | 2020 | down 84.1% | volatile |
| 29 | Djibouti | 1.1% | 2023 | down 68.6% | volatile |
| 34 | Kazakhstan | 1.0% | 2015 | down 60.0% | volatile |
| 34 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.0% | 2023 | unchanged | rising |
| 34 | Saudi Arabia | 1.0% | 2020 | down 9.1% | volatile |
| 34 | Algeria | 1.0% | 2019 | down 44.4% | volatile |
| 38 | Türkiye | 0.9% | 2018 | up 800.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Nepal | 0.9% | 2022 | down 59.1% | falling |
| 38 | Senegal | 0.9% | 2023 | down 30.8% | falling |
| 38 | Togo | 0.9% | 2017 | unchanged | volatile |
| 38 | Madagascar | 0.9% | 2021 | up 28.6% | volatile |
| 38 | Ghana | 0.9% | 2022 | unchanged | volatile |
| 44 | Jamaica | 0.8% | 2018 | up 300.0% | volatile |
| 44 | El Salvador | 0.8% | 2021 | up 300.0% | volatile |
| 44 | Gambia | 0.8% | 2020 | down 57.9% | volatile |
| 44 | Uzbekistan | 0.8% | 2021 | down 33.3% | volatile |
| 48 | Haiti | 0.7% | 2023 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 0.7% | 2022 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Malawi | 0.7% | 2020 | down 46.2% | volatile |
| 48 | Uganda | 0.7% | 2022 | up 133.3% | volatile |
| 48 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 0.7% | 2016 | up 75.0% | falling |
| 48 | Burkina Faso | 0.7% | 2021 | down 63.2% | volatile |
| 54 | Morocco | 0.6% | 2019 | down 33.3% | volatile |
| 54 | Myanmar | 0.6% | 2018 | down 68.4% | falling |
| 54 | Mozambique | 0.6% | 2022 | down 68.4% | volatile |
| 54 | Ethiopia | 0.6% | 2019 | down 70.0% | falling |
| 54 | China | 0.6% | 2010 | up 50.0% | falling |
| 54 | Philippines | 0.6% | 2021 | down 68.4% | falling |
| 54 | Palestine, State of | 0.6% | 2020 | down 45.5% | falling |
| 61 | Azerbaijan | 0.5% | 2023 | down 28.6% | volatile |
| 61 | Honduras | 0.5% | 2019 | up 66.7% | volatile |
| 61 | Nicaragua | 0.5% | 2012 | down 16.7% | volatile |
| 61 | Colombia | 0.5% | 2016 | up 25.0% | flat |
| 61 | Kenya | 0.5% | 2022 | down 72.2% | falling |
| 61 | Kuwait | 0.5% | 2023 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 67 | Dominican Republic | 0.4% | 2019 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 67 | Mali | 0.4% | 2024 | down 83.3% | volatile |
| 67 | Liberia | 0.4% | 2019 | down 42.9% | volatile |
| 70 | Zimbabwe | 0.3% | 2019 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 70 | Jordan | 0.3% | 2023 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 70 | Eswatini | 0.3% | 2021 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 70 | Mongolia | 0.3% | 2018 | down 40.0% | volatile |
| 70 | Rwanda | 0.3% | 2020 | down 57.1% | volatile |
| 75 | Paraguay | 0.2% | 2016 | up 100.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Uruguay | 0.2% | 2018 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 77 | Lesotho | 0.1% | 2024 | down 85.7% | volatile |
| 78 | Korea | 0.0% | 2020 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 78 | Ecuador | 0.0% | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 78 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 0.0% | 2019 | — | volatile |
| 78 | United States of America | 0.0% | 2018 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 78 | Guatemala | 0.0% | 2021 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 78 | Mexico | 0.0% | 2022 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 78 | Peru | 0.0% | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
About this data
Prevalence of severe wasting, female, is the proportion of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than three standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months.