Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Philippines
Philippines: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 5.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Philippines, 1987–2021
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
Philippines recorded 5.4% for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.3% on the previous year and down 22.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Philippines peaked at 9.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2021.
Philippines ranks 37th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Philippines, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 5.7% | — |
| 1990 | 6.9% | +21.1% |
| 1992 | 8.8% | +27.5% |
| 1993 | 9.1% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | -12.1% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -27.5% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | +13.8% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | +6.1% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | +8.6% |
| 2015 | 6.8% | -10.5% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -19.1% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | -5.3% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 5.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.0%, 1.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 5.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.2%, 75% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 8.2% | 6.9% | 9.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 6.2% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More health data for Philippines
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5317 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,456 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 7,006 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.61 % 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 0.037 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.21 % 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 Philippines?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Philippines was 5.4% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2021.
- How does Philippines rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Philippines ranks 37th out of 99 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.