Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic

Lao People's Democratic Republic: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 2.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2.7%
World rank
5th
of 85 countries
All-time high
7.5%
in 2000
All-time low
1.4%
in 2011
Years of data
6
2000–2023

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2000–2023

24682000201120232000: 7.5 % of children under 52006: 1.7 % of children under 52011: 1.4 % of children under 52015: 2.4 % of children under 52017: 3 % of children under 52023: 2.7 % 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

Lao People's Democratic Republic recorded 2.7% for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in 2023.

The figure is up 92.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic peaked at 7.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2011.

Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 5th of 85 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Lao People's Democratic Republic, 2000 to 2023.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 7.5%
2006 1.7% -77.3%
2011 1.4% -17.6%
2015 2.4% +71.4%
2017 3.0% +25.0%
2023 2.7% -10.0%

Lao People's Democratic Republic compared with similar countries

  • Lao People's Democratic Republic's 2.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 2.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic's 2.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.0%, 2.7× the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.6% 1.7% 7.5% 2
2010s 2.3% 1.4% 3.0% 3
2020s 2.7% 2.7% 2.7% 1

Countries ranked near Lao People's Democratic Republic

  1. 2 Yemen 5.2% compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 3.1% compare
  3. 3 Oman 3.1% compare
  4. 6 Mauritania 2.6% compare
  5. 7 Thailand 2.5% compare
  6. 8 Benin 2.4% compare
  7. 8 Cambodia 2.4% compare
  8. 8 Côte d'Ivoire 2.4% compare
  9. 8 Pakistan 2.4% compare
  10. 8 Sierra Leone 2.4% compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More health data for Lao People's Democratic Republic

All data for Lao People's Democratic Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic was 2.7% in 2023, 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 Lao People's Democratic Republic?
The highest recorded value was 7.5% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2011.
How does Lao People's Democratic Republic rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
Lao People's Democratic Republic ranks 5th out of 85 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Lao People's Democratic Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 92.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lao People's Democratic Republic 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.

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Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Lao People's Democratic Republic. 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 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-severe-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/lao-pdr/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% 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
99 places, 1,131 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

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.