Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali
Mali: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 0.7% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali, 1987–2024
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 2024, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali stood at 0.7%. That is the lowest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 68.2% on the previous year and down 76.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali peaked at 10.2% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2024.
Mali ranks 56th 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 Mali, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 4.2% | — |
| 1996 | 10.2% | +142.9% |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -58.8% |
| 2006 | 6.1% | +45.2% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -68.9% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | +10.5% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +42.9% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -35.3% |
| 2017 | 2.5% | +13.6% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | +73.1% |
| 2020 | 1.4% | -68.9% |
| 2021 | 1.8% | +28.6% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | +22.2% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -68.2% |
Mali compared with similar countries
- Mali's 0.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.3%, 54% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Mali's 0.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 56% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.2% | 6.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 1.9% | 4.5% | 8 |
| 2020s | 1.5% | 0.7% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mali
More health data for Mali
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.65 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.18 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 878 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 24,194 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0853 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mali was 0.7% in 2024, 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 Mali?
- The highest recorded value was 10.2% in 1996.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Mali?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2024.
- How does Mali rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Mali ranks 56th out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Mali?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mali 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
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.