Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria
Nigeria: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 11.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria, 1990–2021
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
The most recent figure for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria is 11.6%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 78.5% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria peaked at 20.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2020.
That places Nigeria 5th out of 99 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.7% | — |
| 1993 | 20.6% | +76.1% |
| 2003 | 11.2% | -45.6% |
| 2011 | 10.2% | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | -22.5% |
| 2015 | 7.3% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | +47.9% |
| 2018 | 6.8% | -37.0% |
| 2020 | 6.5% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 11.6% | +78.5% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 11.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.1%, 2.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 11.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.6%, 2.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.1% | 11.7% | 20.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.2% | 11.2% | 11.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 6.8% | 10.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 6.5% | 11.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % 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 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Nigeria was 11.6% in 2021, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2020.
- How does Nigeria rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Nigeria ranks 5th out of 99 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.