Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Korea
Korea: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 0.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Korea, 2003–2020
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
Korea recorded 0.2% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is down 77.8% on the previous year and down 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Korea peaked at 0.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2020.
That places Korea 98th out of 99 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Korea, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0.9% | — |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -22.2% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -28.6% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +50.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | -77.8% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 0.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.5%, 8% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
- Korea's 0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.2%, 3% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 95 Peru 0.6% compare
- 96 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0.4% compare
- 97 Chile 0.3% compare
- 99 United States of America 0.1% compare
More health data for Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % 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 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % 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 Korea?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Korea was 0.2% in 2020, 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 Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.9% in 2003.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2020.
- How does Korea rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Korea ranks 98th out of 99 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea 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.