Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania

Tanzania: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female was 0.7% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
up 75.0%
World rank
48th
of 84 countries
All-time high
2.7%
in 1999
All-time low
0.3%
in 2018
Years of data
13
1991–2022

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania, 1991–2022

0.511.522.51991200620221991: 2.5 % of children under 51996: 2.2 % of children under 51999: 2.7 % of children under 52004: 0.6 % of children under 52009: 0.9 % of children under 52010: 0.8 % of children under 52011: 1.4 % of children under 52013: 1.4 % of children under 52014: 0.7 % of children under 52015: 1.2 % of children under 52018: 0.3 % of children under 52021: 0.4 % of children under 52022: 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

Tanzania recorded 0.7% for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 75.0% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania peaked at 2.7% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2018.

That places Tanzania 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2022, 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 Tanzania, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Tanzania, 1991 to 2022.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1991 2.5%
1996 2.2% -12.0%
1999 2.7% +22.7%
2004 0.6% -77.8%
2009 0.9% +50.0%
2010 0.8% -11.1%
2011 1.4% +75.0%
2013 1.4% +0.0%
2014 0.7% -50.0%
2015 1.2% +71.4%
2018 0.3% -75.0%
2021 0.4% +33.3%
2022 0.7% +75.0%

Tanzania compared with similar countries

  • Tanzania's 0.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 74% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Tanzania'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 2.5% 2.2% 2.7% 3
2000s 0.8% 0.6% 0.9% 2
2010s 1.0% 0.3% 1.4% 6
2020s 0.6% 0.4% 0.7% 2

Countries ranked near Tanzania

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

See the full ranking of 84 places →

More health data for Tanzania

All data for Tanzania →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania was 0.7% in 2022, 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 Tanzania?
The highest recorded value was 2.7% in 1999.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Tanzania?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2018.
How does Tanzania rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female?
Tanzania ranks 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Tanzania?
Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Tanzania 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 Tanzania. 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/tanzania/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-severe-wasting-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/tanzania/">Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Tanzania</a> — Statizoid

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.