Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador

El Salvador: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male was 3.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
3.2%
World rank
55th
of 86 countries
All-time high
3.2%
in 2021
All-time low
1.4%
in 2003
Years of data
7
1988–2021

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador, 1988–2021

01231988200420211988: 2.5 % of children under 51993: 1.7 % of children under 51998: 1.8 % of children under 52003: 1.4 % of children under 52008: 2.4 % of children under 52014: 2.6 % of children under 52021: 3.2 % 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, male in El Salvador is 3.2%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 33.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador peaked at 3.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2003.

That places El Salvador 55th out of 86 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male (% of children under 5) in El Salvador, 1988 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 2.5%
1993 1.7% -32.0%
1998 1.8% +5.9%
2003 1.4% -22.2%
2008 2.4% +71.4%
2014 2.6% +8.3%
2021 3.2% +23.1%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 3.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 3.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 2.0%, 1.6× the median. (15 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1990s 1.8% 1.7% 1.8% 2
2000s 1.9% 1.4% 2.4% 2
2010s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
2020s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 52 Liberia 3.6% compare
  2. 53 Egypt 3.5% compare
  3. 54 Jamaica 3.3% compare
  4. 56 Algeria 3.0% compare
  5. 56 Zimbabwe 3.0% compare
  6. 58 Kazakhstan 2.9% compare
  7. 58 Kyrgyzstan 2.9% compare
  8. 58 Uzbekistan 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More health data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador was 3.2% in 2021, 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, male recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 2021.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2003.
How does El Salvador rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male?
El Salvador ranks 55th out of 86 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in El Salvador. 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 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-male-percent-of-children-under-5/el-salvador/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male (% 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, male, is the proportion of boys 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.