Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 9.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso, 1993–2021
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 2021, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso stood at 9.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso peaked at 15.5% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 2016.
Burkina Faso ranks 13th of 99 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 15.4% | — |
| 1999 | 15.5% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | -27.1% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 10.7% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 8.1% | -24.3% |
| 2014 | 8.5% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 10.2% | +20.0% |
| 2016 | 7.5% | -26.5% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | +14.7% |
| 2018 | 8.4% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 8.1% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 8.8% | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | +5.7% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 9.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.3%, 1.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 9.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.6%, 1.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.4% | 15.4% | 15.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.3% | 11.3% | 11.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 9.1% | 7.5% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 8.8% | 9.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More health data for Burkina Faso
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8925 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,142 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,085 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0693 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7133 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Burkina Faso was 9.3% 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 recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 1999.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 2016.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Burkina Faso ranks 13th out of 99 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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.
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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.