Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica

Jamaica: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female was 3.1% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
3.1%
Change on year
up 14.8%
World rank
54th
of 86 countries
All-time high
5.7%
in 1995
All-time low
1.5%
in 1997
Years of data
22
1989–2018

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica, 1989–2018

1234561989200320181989: 3.1 % of children under 51991: 3.6 % of children under 51992: 2.8 % of children under 51993: 5.1 % of children under 51994: 2.4 % of children under 51995: 5.7 % of children under 51996: 2.5 % of children under 51997: 1.5 % of children under 51998: 1.6 % of children under 51999: 2.1 % of children under 52000: 3.3 % of children under 52001: 3.4 % of children under 52002: 1.9 % of children under 52004: 4.7 % of children under 52006: 3.4 % of children under 52007: 2 % of children under 52008: 2.7 % of children under 52010: 4 % of children under 52012: 2.9 % of children under 52014: 3.7 % of children under 52016: 2.7 % of children under 52018: 3.1 % 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

The most recent figure for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica is 3.1%, measured in 2018.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.8% on the previous year and up 14.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica peaked at 5.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1997.

Jamaica ranks 54th of 86 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Jamaica, 1989 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1989 3.1%
1991 3.6% +16.1%
1992 2.8% -22.2%
1993 5.1% +82.1%
1994 2.4% -52.9%
1995 5.7% +137.5%
1996 2.5% -56.1%
1997 1.5% -40.0%
1998 1.6% +6.7%
1999 2.1% +31.2%
2000 3.3% +57.1%
2001 3.4% +3.0%
2002 1.9% -44.1%
2004 4.7% +147.4%
2006 3.4% -27.7%
2007 2.0% -41.2%
2008 2.7% +35.0%
2010 4.0% +48.1%
2012 2.9% -27.5%
2014 3.7% +27.6%
2016 2.7% -27.0%
2018 3.1% +14.8%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 3.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 3.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.6%, 1.9× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1990s 3.0% 1.5% 5.7% 9
2000s 3.1% 1.9% 4.7% 7
2010s 3.3% 2.7% 4.0% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 51 Egypt 3.2% compare
  2. 51 Liberia 3.2% compare
  3. 51 Mozambique 3.2% compare
  4. 54 Kyrgyzstan 3.1% compare
  5. 56 Zimbabwe 2.8% compare
  6. 57 El Salvador 2.7% compare
  7. 57 Kuwait 2.7% compare
  8. 57 Uganda 2.7% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More health data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica was 3.1% in 2018, 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 wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 1995.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1997.
How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female?
Jamaica ranks 54th out of 86 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Jamaica 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 wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Jamaica. 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 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/jamaica/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female (% 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
86 places, 749 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of wasting, female, is the proportion of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months.