Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 5.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 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
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 5.6% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 8.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.3% | — |
| 2001 | 8.2% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 7.8% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 7.4% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 7.3% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 7.2% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 7.1% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.7% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 6.6% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.4% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 6.2% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 6.1% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 5.9% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 5.7% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.7% | 7.2% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 6.1% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.6% | 6.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More health data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0387 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0337 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0305 units per person (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 5.6% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2024.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 8th out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.