Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Rwanda
Rwanda: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 0.2% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Rwanda, 1992–2020
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
Rwanda recorded 0.2% for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.0% on the previous year and down 77.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Rwanda peaked at 3.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2020.
Rwanda ranks 75th of 85 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1.8% | — |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +111.1% |
| 2005 | 1.7% | -55.3% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +29.4% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | -59.1% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -42.9% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -50.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 0.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 1.3%, 15% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 0.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 16% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 1.7% | 3.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More health data for Rwanda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.891 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 860.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,738 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9441 % 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 0.065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9697 % 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 Rwanda?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Rwanda was 0.2% in 2020, 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 3.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
- How does Rwanda rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Rwanda ranks 75th out of 85 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 77.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.