Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female was 0.7% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
0.7%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
48th
of 84 countries
All-time high
5.2%
in 1993
All-time low
0.7%
in 2020
Years of data
15
1993–2021

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso, 1993–2021

123451993200720211993: 5.2 % of children under 51999: 4.3 % of children under 52009: 2.5 % of children under 52010: 2.3 % of children under 52011: 1.9 % of children under 52012: 1.4 % of children under 52013: 1.2 % of children under 52014: 1.5 % of children under 52015: 1.7 % of children under 52016: 1 % of children under 52017: 1.7 % of children under 52018: 1.2 % of children under 52019: 0.8 % of children under 52020: 0.7 % of children under 52021: 0.7 % 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'. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso is 0.7%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is down 63.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso peaked at 5.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2020.

That places Burkina Faso 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Burkina Faso, 1993 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1993 5.2%
1999 4.3% -17.3%
2009 2.5% -41.9%
2010 2.3% -8.0%
2011 1.9% -17.4%
2012 1.4% -26.3%
2013 1.2% -14.3%
2014 1.5% +25.0%
2015 1.7% +13.3%
2016 1.0% -41.2%
2017 1.7% +70.0%
2018 1.2% -29.4%
2019 0.8% -33.3%
2020 0.7% -12.5%
2021 0.7% +0.0%

Burkina Faso compared with similar countries

  • Burkina Faso's 0.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.9%, 82% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
  • Burkina Faso's 0.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9%, 78% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 4.8% 4.3% 5.2% 2
2000s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
2010s 1.5% 0.8% 2.3% 10
2020s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 2

Countries ranked near Burkina Faso

  1. 48 Bolivia 0.7% compare
  2. 48 Haiti 0.7% compare
  3. 48 Malawi 0.7% compare
  4. 48 Tanzania 0.7% compare
  5. 48 Uganda 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 84 places →

More health data for Burkina Faso

All data for Burkina Faso →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso was 0.7% in 2021, according to 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'.
What is the highest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Burkina Faso?
The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1993.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Burkina Faso?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2020.
How does Burkina Faso rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female?
Burkina Faso ranks 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
Over the last ten years it is down 63.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
The figures 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 part of Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Burkina Faso. 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/stat/prevalence-of-severe-wasting-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/burkina-faso/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% 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
84 places, 738 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

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.