Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Bhutan
Bhutan: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 5.1% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Bhutan, 1987–2023
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 in Bhutan is 5.1%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Bhutan peaked at 5.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 1999.
Bhutan ranks 40th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 5.2% | — |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -50.0% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | +73.1% |
| 2010 | 5.9% | +31.1% |
| 2023 | 5.1% | -13.6% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 5.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 5.1% is below the median for South Asia, which is 9.2%, 55% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 1 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More health data for Bhutan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -10 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0915 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,531 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 9 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.2986 % 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 0.0299 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.3987 % 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 in Bhutan?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Bhutan was 5.1% 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 recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 2010.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 1999.
- How does Bhutan rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Bhutan ranks 40th out of 99 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bhutan 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 (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of wasting is the proportion of children 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.