Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 1.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia, 2000–2024
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
Europe & Central Asia recorded 1.0% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 4.8% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 2.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.8% | — |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -4.1% |
| 2003 | 2.5% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 2.3% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 2.2% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -4.2% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 1.7% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 1.5% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 1.4% | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | -4.4% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 1.0% | -4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.3% | 1.9% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
More health data for Europe & Central Asia
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 0.9265 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0299 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0346 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate 0.6344 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0352 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Europe & Central Asia was 1.0% in 2024, 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 Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2024.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 12th out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.