Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) by country
Prevalence of severe wasting is the proportion of children 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.
Countries reporting
85
Highest
7.5%
India
Lowest
0.0%
Peru
Median
1.0%
Years covered
39
1986–2024
Data points
1,131
What the numbers show
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) is currently reported for 85 countries. The highest value is 7.5% in India; the lowest is 0.0% in Peru.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.0%, and the mean is 1.3%.
Over the past decade 26 countries rose and 51 fell. The largest increase was in Oman (up 287.5%), and the largest decrease in United States of America (down 100.0%).
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 7.5% | 2020 | up 10.3% | falling |
| 2 | Yemen | 5.2% | 2022 | up 52.9% | falling |
| 3 | Nigeria | 3.1% | 2021 | unchanged | falling |
| 3 | Oman | 3.1% | 2017 | up 287.5% | volatile |
| 5 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2.7% | 2023 | up 92.9% | volatile |
| 6 | Mauritania | 2.6% | 2022 | up 36.8% | volatile |
| 7 | Thailand | 2.5% | 2022 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 8 | Sierra Leone | 2.4% | 2021 | up 50.0% | volatile |
| 8 | Cambodia | 2.4% | 2021 | down 11.1% | volatile |
| 8 | Pakistan | 2.4% | 2018 | down 58.6% | falling |
| 8 | Côte d'Ivoire | 2.4% | 2021 | up 200.0% | volatile |
| 8 | Benin | 2.4% | 2021 | up 118.2% | volatile |
| 13 | Djibouti | 2.3% | 2023 | down 32.4% | volatile |
| 14 | Indonesia | 2.1% | 2023 | down 68.7% | volatile |
| 14 | Niger | 2.1% | 2022 | down 22.2% | falling |
| 14 | Burundi | 2.1% | 2024 | down 38.2% | falling |
| 17 | Maldives | 2.0% | 2017 | down 25.9% | volatile |
| 18 | Guyana | 1.9% | 2019 | up 58.3% | volatile |
| 18 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 1.9% | 2023 | down 34.5% | falling |
| 20 | Bangladesh | 1.7% | 2022 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 20 | Armenia | 1.7% | 2016 | down 34.6% | rising |
| 22 | Tajikistan | 1.6% | 2023 | down 61.0% | falling |
| 22 | Central African Republic | 1.6% | 2022 | unchanged | volatile |
| 22 | Zimbabwe | 1.6% | 2024 | up 128.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Cameroon | 1.6% | 2018 | down 38.5% | flat |
| 26 | Madagascar | 1.5% | 2021 | up 50.0% | volatile |
| 26 | Chad | 1.5% | 2022 | down 76.2% | falling |
| 26 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.5% | 2019 | up 36.4% | volatile |
| 26 | Timor-Leste | 1.5% | 2020 | down 80.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Egypt | 1.5% | 2021 | down 60.5% | rising |
| 26 | Zambia | 1.5% | 2018 | down 34.8% | falling |
| 32 | Kyrgyzstan | 1.3% | 2023 | unchanged | falling |
| 32 | Russian Federation | 1.3% | 2005 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 32 | Algeria | 1.3% | 2019 | down 23.5% | volatile |
| 32 | Guinea | 1.3% | 2022 | down 68.3% | falling |
| 36 | Saudi Arabia | 1.2% | 2020 | unchanged | volatile |
| 36 | Ghana | 1.2% | 2022 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 38 | Uzbekistan | 1.1% | 2021 | down 31.2% | volatile |
| 38 | Senegal | 1.1% | 2023 | down 21.4% | falling |
| 38 | Ethiopia | 1.1% | 2019 | down 62.1% | falling |
| 38 | Togo | 1.1% | 2017 | up 57.1% | volatile |
| 38 | Kazakhstan | 1.1% | 2015 | down 52.2% | falling |
| 43 | Jamaica | 1.0% | 2018 | up 233.3% | volatile |
| 43 | Uganda | 1.0% | 2022 | up 233.3% | falling |
| 43 | Viet Nam | 1.0% | 2020 | down 16.7% | falling |
| 46 | Haiti | 0.9% | 2023 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 46 | Kuwait | 0.9% | 2023 | up 50.0% | rising |
| 46 | Burkina Faso | 0.9% | 2021 | down 59.1% | volatile |
| 46 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 0.9% | 2016 | up 80.0% | falling |
| 46 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 0.9% | 2022 | down 47.1% | volatile |
| 46 | Mongolia | 0.9% | 2023 | up 125.0% | volatile |
| 46 | Myanmar | 0.9% | 2018 | down 57.1% | falling |
| 53 | Sri Lanka | 0.8% | 2024 | down 73.3% | falling |
| 53 | Nepal | 0.8% | 2022 | down 72.4% | falling |
| 53 | Philippines | 0.8% | 2021 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 56 | Nicaragua | 0.7% | 2012 | down 22.2% | volatile |
| 56 | Malawi | 0.7% | 2020 | down 53.3% | volatile |
| 56 | Mozambique | 0.7% | 2022 | down 70.8% | falling |
| 56 | El Salvador | 0.7% | 2021 | up 40.0% | rising |
| 56 | China | 0.7% | 2010 | up 40.0% | falling |
| 56 | Mali | 0.7% | 2024 | down 76.7% | volatile |
| 62 | Türkiye | 0.6% | 2018 | up 100.0% | falling |
| 62 | Azerbaijan | 0.6% | 2023 | down 45.5% | volatile |
| 62 | Palestine, State of | 0.6% | 2020 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 62 | Gambia | 0.6% | 2020 | down 71.4% | volatile |
| 62 | Kenya | 0.6% | 2022 | down 68.4% | falling |
| 67 | Dominican Republic | 0.5% | 2019 | down 44.4% | falling |
| 67 | Eswatini | 0.5% | 2021 | up 25.0% | volatile |
| 67 | Honduras | 0.5% | 2019 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 67 | Morocco | 0.5% | 2019 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 67 | Liberia | 0.5% | 2019 | down 37.5% | volatile |
| 72 | Colombia | 0.4% | 2016 | unchanged | falling |
| 72 | Jordan | 0.4% | 2023 | down 42.9% | volatile |
| 72 | Paraguay | 0.4% | 2016 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 75 | Lesotho | 0.2% | 2024 | down 66.7% | volatile |
| 75 | Guatemala | 0.2% | 2021 | unchanged | volatile |
| 75 | Uruguay | 0.2% | 2018 | down 50.0% | volatile |
| 75 | Finland | 0.2% | 2023 | up 100.0% | rising |
| 75 | Rwanda | 0.2% | 2020 | down 77.8% | volatile |
| 80 | Korea | 0.1% | 2020 | unchanged | falling |
| 80 | Mexico | 0.1% | 2022 | down 75.0% | volatile |
| 80 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 0.1% | 2019 | unchanged | volatile |
| 80 | Ecuador | 0.1% | 2024 | down 83.3% | volatile |
| 84 | United States of America | 0.0% | 2018 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 84 | Peru | 0.0% | 2023 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- South Asia 4.9%
- Lower middle income 2.7%
- Middle income 2.0%
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 2.0%
- World 1.9%
- Low & middle income 1.9%
- Low income 1.4%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 1.3%
- East Asia & Pacific 0.9%
- Upper middle income 0.5%
- Latin America & Caribbean 0.3%
- Europe & Central Asia 0.2%
- High income 0.1%
- North America 0.0%
About this data
Prevalence of severe wasting is the proportion of children 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.