Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico
Mexico: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 0.1% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico, 1988–2022
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 2022, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico stood at 0.1%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 80.0% on the previous year and down 75.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico peaked at 2.1% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2022.
Mexico ranks 80th of 85 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 2.1% | — |
| 1989 | 1.7% | -19.0% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -58.8% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | +114.3% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -73.3% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | -25.0% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 0.1% | -80.0% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 0.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 14% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 0.1% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.5%, 20% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 0.9% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More health data for Mexico
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,312 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,760 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9607 % 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 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.9678 % 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 Mexico?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Mexico was 0.1% in 2022, 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 1988.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2022.
- How does Mexico rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Mexico ranks 80th out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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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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.