Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica
Jamaica: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 1.0% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica, 1989–2018
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
In 2018, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica stood at 1.0%.
The figure is up 100.0% on the previous year and up 233.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica peaked at 2.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1996.
Jamaica ranks 43rd of 85 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 in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 0.6% | — |
| 1991 | 1.2% | +100.0% |
| 1992 | 0.3% | -75.0% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | +766.7% |
| 1994 | 0.9% | -65.4% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 1996 | 0.1% | -87.5% |
| 1997 | 0.3% | +200.0% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | +200.0% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | +66.7% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | -33.3% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -30.0% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | +57.1% |
| 2006 | 0.9% | -18.2% |
| 2007 | 1.2% | +33.3% |
| 2008 | 0.3% | -75.0% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | +400.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -46.7% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -37.5% |
| 2016 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +100.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 1.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 1.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5%, 2.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +766.7% | 0.3% | 2.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.9% | 0.1% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.3% | 1.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.5% | 1.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More health data for Jamaica
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -3.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3325 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,308 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 31 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Jamaica was 1.0% 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 recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1996.
- How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Jamaica ranks 43rd out of 85 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 233.3%. 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 (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.