Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 0.4% in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
0.4%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
96th
of 99 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 2011
All-time low
0.2%
in 2010
Years of data
13
2007–2019

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2007–2019

0.250.50.7511.22007201320192007: 0.6 % of children under 52008: 0.6 % of children under 52009: 0.5 % of children under 52010: 0.2 % of children under 52011: 1.3 % of children under 52012: 0.4 % of children under 52013: 0.2 % of children under 52014: 0.4 % of children under 52015: 0.4 % of children under 52016: 0.4 % of children under 52017: 0.4 % of children under 52018: 0.4 % of children under 52019: 0.4 % of children under 5

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

In 2019, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 0.4%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 1.3% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2010.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 96th of 99 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2007 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2007 0.6%
2008 0.6% +0.0%
2009 0.5% -16.7%
2010 0.2% -60.0%
2011 1.3% +550.0%
2012 0.4% -69.2%
2013 0.2% -50.0%
2014 0.4% +100.0%
2015 0.4% +0.0%
2016 0.4% +0.0%
2017 0.4% +0.0%
2018 0.4% +0.0%
2019 0.4% +0.0%

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.5%, 16% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 0.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.0%, 13% of the median. (12 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2011 +550.0% 0.2% 1.3%
2014 +100.0% 0.2% 0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 3
2010s 0.5% 0.2% 1.3% 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 93 Guatemala 0.8% compare
  2. 94 Ecuador 0.7% compare
  3. 95 Peru 0.6% compare
  4. 97 Chile 0.3% compare
  5. 98 Korea 0.2% compare
  6. 99 United States of America 0.1% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 0.4% in 2019, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2011.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2010.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 96th out of 99 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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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Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on 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'. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
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'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
113 places, 1,312 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

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.