Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 0.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka, 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
The most recent figure for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka is 0.8%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 33.3% on the previous year and down 73.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka peaked at 3.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2024.
That places Sri Lanka 53rd out of 85 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 1.7% | — |
| 1993 | 2.8% | +64.7% |
| 2000 | 2.2% | -21.4% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | +40.9% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -38.7% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | +57.9% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -51.6% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -20.0% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -8.3% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | +27.3% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -14.3% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | -33.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 0.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.7%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 0.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 1.7%, 47% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 3.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.5% | 3.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 0.8% | 1.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Sri Lanka was 0.8% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2024.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Sri Lanka ranks 53rd out of 85 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 73.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.