Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica

Jamaica: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male was 1.1% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
1.1%
Change on year
up 22.2%
World rank
44th
of 84 countries
All-time high
2.3%
in 1993
All-time low
0.0%
in 1996
Years of data
22
1989–2018

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica, 1989–2018

00.511.522.51989200320181989: 0.7 % of children under 51991: 1.5 % of children under 51992: 0.1 % of children under 51993: 2.3 % of children under 51994: 1.2 % of children under 51995: 0.4 % of children under 51996: 0 % of children under 51997: 0.6 % of children under 51998: 1.8 % of children under 51999: 0.8 % of children under 52000: 1.5 % of children under 52001: 0.9 % of children under 52002: 0.4 % of children under 52004: 1.3 % of children under 52006: 1 % of children under 52007: 1.7 % of children under 52008: 0.3 % of children under 52010: 1.7 % of children under 52012: 0.6 % of children under 52014: 0.6 % of children under 52016: 0.9 % of children under 52018: 1.1 % 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

Jamaica recorded 1.1% for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in 2018.

That represents a change of up 22.2% on the previous year and up 266.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica peaked at 2.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1996.

Jamaica ranks 44th of 84 countries on this measure, 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, male in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male (% of children under 5) in Jamaica, 1989 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1989 0.7%
1991 1.5% +114.3%
1992 0.1% -93.3%
1993 2.3% +2200.0%
1994 1.2% -47.8%
1995 0.4% -66.7%
1996 0.0% -100.0%
1997 0.6%
1998 1.8% +200.0%
1999 0.8% -55.6%
2000 1.5% +87.5%
2001 0.9% -40.0%
2002 0.4% -55.6%
2004 1.3% +225.0%
2006 1.0% -23.1%
2007 1.7% +70.0%
2008 0.3% -82.4%
2010 1.7% +466.7%
2012 0.6% -64.7%
2014 0.6% +0.0%
2016 0.9% +50.0%
2018 1.1% +22.2%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 1.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 1.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5%, 2.2× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica 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.

YearChange FromTo
1993 +2200.0% 0.1% 2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1990s 1.0% 0.0% 2.3% 9
2000s 1.0% 0.3% 1.7% 7
2010s 1.0% 0.6% 1.7% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 42 Kuwait 1.2% compare
  2. 42 Vietnam 1.2% compare
  3. 44 Bolivia 1.1% compare
  4. 44 Burkina Faso 1.1% compare
  5. 44 Haiti 1.1% compare
  6. 44 Kazakhstan 1.1% compare
  7. 44 Tanzania 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 84 places →

More health data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica was 1.1% in 2018, 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 Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 2.3% in 1993.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1996.
How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male?
Jamaica ranks 44th out of 84 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 266.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Jamaica 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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Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male in Jamaica. 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-male-percent-of-children-under-5/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height, male (% 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, 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.