Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female was 14.8% in 2016. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka, 1987–2016
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
In 2016, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka stood at 14.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 20.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1987.
Sri Lanka ranks 2nd of 86 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 11.0% | — |
| 1993 | 14.0% | +27.3% |
| 2000 | 15.1% | +7.9% |
| 2007 | 13.7% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | -16.1% |
| 2012 | 20.5% | +78.3% |
| 2016 | 14.8% | -27.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 14.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.6%, 5.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 14.8% is above the median for South Asia, which is 11.1%, 1.3× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.0% | 11.0% | 11.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 14.0% | 14.0% | 14.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 11.5% | 15.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 14.8% | 20.5% | 2 |
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 wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female in Sri Lanka was 14.8% in 2016, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 20.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1987.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 2nd out of 86 countries with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 wasting, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.