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

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

Latest (2022)
0.7%
Change on year
down 36.4%
World rank
48th
of 84 countries
All-time high
3.3%
in 2015
All-time low
0.3%
in 2012
Years of data
13
1988–2022

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Uganda, 1988–2022

01231988200520221988: 1.1 % of children under 51995: 1.7 % of children under 52000: 1.5 % of children under 52006: 1.9 % of children under 52009: 1.1 % of children under 52011: 1.9 % of children under 52012: 0.3 % of children under 52014: 1 % of children under 52015: 3.3 % of children under 52016: 1 % of children under 52018: 0.9 % of children under 52020: 1.1 % 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

The most recent figure for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Uganda is 0.7%, measured in 2022.

The figure is down 36.4% on the previous year and up 133.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Uganda peaked at 3.3% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2012.

That places Uganda 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 Uganda, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Uganda, 1988 to 2022.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 1.1%
1995 1.7% +54.5%
2000 1.5% -11.8%
2006 1.9% +26.7%
2009 1.1% -42.1%
2011 1.9% +72.7%
2012 0.3% -84.2%
2014 1.0% +233.3%
2015 3.3% +230.0%
2016 1.0% -69.7%
2018 0.9% -10.0%
2020 1.1% +22.2%
2022 0.7% -36.4%

Uganda compared with similar countries

  • Uganda's 0.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.9%, 82% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
  • Uganda'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
1980s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1990s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
2000s 1.5% 1.1% 1.9% 3
2010s 1.4% 0.3% 3.3% 6
2020s 0.9% 0.7% 1.1% 2

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 48 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0.7% compare
  2. 48 Burkina Faso 0.7% compare
  3. 48 Haiti 0.7% compare
  4. 48 Malawi 0.7% compare
  5. 48 Tanzania, United Republic of 0.7% compare

See the full ranking of 84 places →

More health data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Uganda?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female in Uganda 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 Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2015.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2012.
How does Uganda rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female?
Uganda ranks 48th out of 84 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 133.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Uganda 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 Uganda. 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 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-severe-wasting-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/uganda/

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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.