Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female was 0.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi, 1992–2020
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
In 2020, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi stood at 0.7%.
The figure is down 46.2% on the previous year and down 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi peaked at 3.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2018.
That places Malawi 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2020, 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1.4% | — |
| 1998 | 3.9% | +178.6% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | -25.6% |
| 2002 | 2.2% | -24.1% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +31.8% |
| 2006 | 1.3% | -55.2% |
| 2009 | 0.3% | -76.9% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | +333.3% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -30.8% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -66.7% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +66.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | -40.0% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | -66.7% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +1200.0% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -46.2% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.9%, 82% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.9%, 78% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +1200.0% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| 2010 | +333.3% | 0.3% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.6% | 1.4% | 3.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.9% | 0.3% | 2.9% | 5 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 1.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 48 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.7% compare
- 48 Burkina Faso 0.7% compare
- 48 Haiti 0.7% compare
- 48 Tanzania, United Republic of 0.7% compare
- 48 Uganda 0.7% compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Malawi was 0.7% in 2020, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 1998.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2018.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female?
- Malawi ranks 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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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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.