Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal
Senegal: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 1.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal, 1986–2023
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
The most recent figure for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal is 1.1%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal peaked at 3.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 2023.
That places Senegal 38th out of 85 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 1.3% | — |
| 1993 | 3.0% | +130.8% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -26.7% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +31.8% |
| 2005 | 2.3% | -20.7% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.2% | -47.8% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 1.3% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | +25.0% |
| 2018 | 1.2% | -20.0% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 1.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.3%, 85% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 1.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 88% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
- 36 Ghana 1.2% compare
- 36 Saudi Arabia 1.2% compare
- 38 Ethiopia 1.1% compare
- 38 Kazakhstan 1.1% compare
- 38 Togo 1.1% compare
- 38 Uzbekistan 1.1% compare
More health data for Senegal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.58 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7598 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 835.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,496 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.42 % 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 0.0658 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.29 % 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 Senegal?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Senegal was 1.1% 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 Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 2023.
- How does Senegal rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Senegal ranks 38th out of 85 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Senegal 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 — 15 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.