Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives

Maldives: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 2.0% in 2017. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2017)
2.0%
World rank
17th
of 85 countries
All-time high
10.2%
in 1997
All-time low
2.0%
in 2017
Years of data
5
1994–2017

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives, 1994–2017

2468101994200520171994: 3.5 % of children under 51997: 10.2 % of children under 52001: 3.5 % of children under 52009: 2.7 % of children under 52017: 2 % 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

In 2017, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives stood at 2.0%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is down 25.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives peaked at 10.2% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 2017.

That places Maldives 17th out of 85 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Maldives, 1994 to 2017.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1994 3.5%
1997 10.2% +191.4%
2001 3.5% -65.7%
2009 2.7% -22.9%
2017 2.0% -25.9%

Maldives compared with similar countries

  • Maldives's 2.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 2.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Maldives's 2.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.7%, 1.2× the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.8% 3.5% 10.2% 2
2000s 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 2
2010s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 14 Burundi 2.1% compare
  2. 14 Indonesia 2.1% compare
  3. 14 Niger 2.1% compare
  4. 18 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.9% compare
  5. 18 Guyana 1.9% compare
  6. 20 Armenia 1.7% compare
  7. 20 Bangladesh 1.7% compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More health data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Maldives was 2.0% in 2017, 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 Maldives?
The highest recorded value was 10.2% in 1997.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Maldives?
The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 2017.
How does Maldives rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
Maldives ranks 17th out of 85 countries with data for 2017.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Maldives 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 Maldives. 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/maldives/

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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.