Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male was 1.6% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Ethiopia, 2000–2019
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, male in Ethiopia is 1.6%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 46.7% on the previous year and down 56.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Ethiopia peaked at 5.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2019.
That places Ethiopia 27th out of 84 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.3% | — |
| 2005 | 5.2% | +20.9% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | -28.8% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -18.9% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.6% | -46.7% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 1.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.6%, 97% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 1.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.4%, 1.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.3% | 5.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 1.6% | 3.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 25 Central African Republic 1.7% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 1.7% compare
- 27 Armenia 1.6% compare
- 27 Bangladesh 1.6% compare
- 27 Cameroon 1.6% compare
- 27 Zambia 1.6% compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % 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, male in Ethiopia?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Ethiopia was 1.6% in 2019, 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, male recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2019.
- How does Ethiopia rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male?
- Ethiopia ranks 27th out of 84 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 56.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of severe wasting, male, is the proportion of boys 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.