Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Peru

Peru: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female was 0.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.5%
Change on year
up 25.0%
World rank
82nd
of 86 countries
All-time high
1.8%
in 1991
All-time low
0.2%
in 2011
Years of data
24
1991–2023

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Peru, 1991–2023

00.511.521991200720231991: 1.8 % of children under 51996: 1.5 % of children under 51997: 0.8 % of children under 51998: 0.8 % of children under 51999: 1.1 % of children under 52000: 1.1 % of children under 52001: 0.5 % of children under 52005: 1 % of children under 52007: 0.7 % of children under 52009: 0.5 % of children under 52010: 0.5 % of children under 52011: 0.2 % of children under 52012: 0.5 % of children under 52013: 0.3 % of children under 52014: 0.5 % of children under 52015: 0.4 % of children under 52016: 0.5 % of children under 52017: 0.4 % of children under 52018: 0.4 % of children under 52019: 1.1 % of children under 52020: 0.4 % of children under 52021: 0.4 % of children under 52022: 0.4 % of children under 52023: 0.5 % 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

Peru recorded 0.5% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 25.0% on the previous year and up 66.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Peru peaked at 1.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2011.

Peru ranks 82nd of 86 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5) in Peru, 1991 to 2023.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1991 1.8%
1996 1.5% -16.7%
1997 0.8% -46.7%
1998 0.8% +0.0%
1999 1.1% +37.5%
2000 1.1% +0.0%
2001 0.5% -54.5%
2005 1.0% +100.0%
2007 0.7% -30.0%
2009 0.5% -28.6%
2010 0.5% +0.0%
2011 0.2% -60.0%
2012 0.5% +150.0%
2013 0.3% -40.0%
2014 0.5% +66.7%
2015 0.4% -20.0%
2016 0.5% +25.0%
2017 0.4% -20.0%
2018 0.4% +0.0%
2019 1.1% +175.0%
2020 0.4% -63.6%
2021 0.4% +0.0%
2022 0.4% +0.0%
2023 0.5% +25.0%

Peru compared with similar countries

  • Peru's 0.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.6%, 19% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • Peru's 0.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.6%, 31% of the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.2% 0.8% 1.8% 5
2000s 0.8% 0.5% 1.1% 5
2010s 0.5% 0.2% 1.1% 10
2020s 0.4% 0.4% 0.5% 4

Countries ranked near Peru

  1. 79 Ecuador 0.6% compare
  2. 79 Guatemala 0.6% compare
  3. 79 Mexico 0.6% compare
  4. 83 Lesotho 0.4% compare
  5. 84 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.3% compare
  6. 85 Korea 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More health data for Peru

All data for Peru →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Peru?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Peru was 0.5% 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 wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Peru?
The highest recorded value was 1.8% in 1991.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Peru?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2011.
How does Peru rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female?
Peru ranks 82nd out of 86 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Peru?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Peru 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 Peru. 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 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-female-percent-of-children-under-5/peru/

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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.