Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Cameroon
Cameroon: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 4.3% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Cameroon, 1991–2018
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
Cameroon recorded 4.3% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 43.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Cameroon peaked at 7.6% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2018.
That places Cameroon 48th out of 99 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 4.5% | — |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +62.2% |
| 2004 | 6.2% | -15.1% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | +22.6% |
| 2011 | 5.7% | -25.0% |
| 2014 | 5.2% | -8.8% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | -17.3% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 4.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 84% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 4.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.6%, 77% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.9% | 4.5% | 7.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 6.2% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 5.1% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
More health data for Cameroon
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7821 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 786.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 12,841 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 17 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.22 % 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 0.0746 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.21 % 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 Cameroon?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Cameroon was 4.3% in 2018, 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2006.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2018.
- How does Cameroon rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Cameroon ranks 48th out of 99 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.