Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) was 1.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Lesotho, 1992–2024
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
Lesotho recorded 1.6% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Lesotho peaked at 22.4% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 84th of 99 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 3.2% | — |
| 1993 | 22.4% | +600.0% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | -75.0% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -32.1% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -26.3% |
| 2018 | 2.1% | -25.0% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -23.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 31% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.6%, 29% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.8% | 3.2% | 22.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 382 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % 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 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Lesotho?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Lesotho was 1.6% 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Lesotho ranks 84th out of 99 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.