Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male was 3.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
3.0%
World rank
56th
of 86 countries
All-time high
8.8%
in 1999
All-time low
1.7%
in 1988
Years of data
10
1988–2019

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe, 1988–2019

24681988200320191988: 1.7 % of children under 51994: 5.9 % of children under 51999: 8.8 % of children under 52005: 7.5 % of children under 52009: 2.9 % of children under 52010: 3.7 % of children under 52012: 3.2 % of children under 52014: 3.7 % of children under 52015: 3.3 % of children under 52019: 3 % 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 Zimbabwe is 3.0%, measured in 2019.

The figure is up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe peaked at 8.8% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1988.

That places Zimbabwe 56th out of 86 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male (% of children under 5) in Zimbabwe, 1988 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 1.7%
1994 5.9% +247.1%
1999 8.8% +49.2%
2005 7.5% -14.8%
2009 2.9% -61.3%
2010 3.7% +27.6%
2012 3.2% -13.5%
2014 3.7% +15.6%
2015 3.3% -10.8%
2019 3.0% -9.1%

Zimbabwe compared with similar countries

  • Zimbabwe's 3.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.4%, 47% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Zimbabwe's 3.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.5%, 46% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1990s 7.4% 5.9% 8.8% 2
2000s 5.2% 2.9% 7.5% 2
2010s 3.4% 3.0% 3.7% 5

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 53 Egypt 3.5% compare
  2. 54 Jamaica 3.3% compare
  3. 55 El Salvador 3.2% compare
  4. 56 Algeria 3.0% compare
  5. 58 Kazakhstan 2.9% compare
  6. 58 Kyrgyzstan 2.9% compare
  7. 58 Uzbekistan 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 86 places →

More health data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male in Zimbabwe was 3.0% in 2019, 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 Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1999.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1988.
How does Zimbabwe rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male?
Zimbabwe ranks 56th out of 86 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height, male rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe. 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-male-percent-of-children-under-5/zimbabwe/

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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.