Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru

Peru: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 0.0% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.0%
Change on year
down 100.0%
World rank
84th
of 85 countries
All-time high
0.7%
in 1996
All-time low
0.0%
in 2023
Years of data
24
1991–2023

Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru, 1991–2023

00.20.40.61991200720231991: 0.6 % of children under 51996: 0.7 % of children under 51997: 0.5 % of children under 51998: 0.4 % of children under 51999: 0.4 % of children under 52000: 0.4 % of children under 52001: 0.2 % of children under 52005: 0.1 % of children under 52007: 0.2 % of children under 52009: 0.2 % of children under 52010: 0.1 % of children under 52011: 0.1 % of children under 52012: 0.1 % of children under 52013: 0.2 % of children under 52014: 0.1 % of children under 52015: 0.1 % of children under 52016: 0.1 % of children under 52017: 0.1 % of children under 52018: 0.1 % of children under 52019: 0.3 % of children under 52020: 0.1 % of children under 52021: 0.1 % of children under 52022: 0.1 % of children under 52023: 0 % 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 2023, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru stood at 0.0%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 100.0% on the previous year and down 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru peaked at 0.7% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2023.

That places Peru 84th out of 85 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Peru, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Peru, 1991 to 2023.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1991 0.6%
1996 0.7% +16.7%
1997 0.5% -28.6%
1998 0.4% -20.0%
1999 0.4% +0.0%
2000 0.4% +0.0%
2001 0.2% -50.0%
2005 0.1% -50.0%
2007 0.2% +100.0%
2009 0.2% +0.0%
2010 0.1% -50.0%
2011 0.1% +0.0%
2012 0.1% +0.0%
2013 0.2% +100.0%
2014 0.1% -50.0%
2015 0.1% +0.0%
2016 0.1% +0.0%
2017 0.1% +0.0%
2018 0.1% +0.0%
2019 0.3% +200.0%
2020 0.1% -66.7%
2021 0.1% +0.0%
2022 0.1% +0.0%
2023 0.0% -100.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5% 0.4% 0.7% 5
2000s 0.2% 0.1% 0.4% 5
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 10
2020s 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% 4

Countries ranked near Peru

  1. 84 United States of America 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More health data for Peru

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Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru?
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Peru was 0.0% 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 Peru?
The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 1996.
What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Peru?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2023.
How does Peru rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
Peru ranks 84th out of 85 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Peru?
Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Peru 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 Peru. 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 13 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-severe-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/peru/

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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.