Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen
Yemen: Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height was 5.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen, 1991–2022
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
Yemen recorded 5.2% for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 271.4% on the previous year and up 52.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen peaked at 6.8% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2021.
That places Yemen 2nd out of 85 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.4% | — |
| 1997 | 6.8% | +25.9% |
| 2003 | 6.4% | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -31.2% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -22.7% |
| 2013 | 5.4% | +58.8% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -74.1% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | +271.4% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 5.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.3%, 4.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 5.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.3%, 4.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.4% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 4.4% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.4% | 5.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.3% | 1.4% | 5.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More health data for Yemen
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 9,603 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 103 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0766 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen?
- Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height in Yemen was 5.2% 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 Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8% in 1997.
- What is the lowest prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2021.
- How does Yemen rank for prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height?
- Yemen ranks 2nd out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen 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 — 8 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.