Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay

Uruguay: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 1.4% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
1.4%
Change on year
up 75.0%
World rank
87th
of 99 countries
All-time high
3.0%
in 2004
All-time low
0.6%
in 2011
Years of data
9
1999–2018

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay, 1999–2018

0.511.522.531999200820181999: 1.6 % of children under 52002: 2.4 % of children under 52003: 1.7 % of children under 52004: 3 % of children under 52007: 1.4 % of children under 52011: 0.6 % of children under 52013: 1.1 % of children under 52016: 0.8 % of children under 52018: 1.4 % 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

The most recent figure for prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay is 1.4%, measured in 2018.

That represents a change of up 75.0% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay peaked at 3.0% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2011.

Uruguay ranks 87th of 99 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Uruguay, 1999 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1999 1.6%
2002 2.4% +50.0%
2003 1.7% -29.2%
2004 3.0% +76.5%
2007 1.4% -53.3%
2011 0.6% -57.1%
2013 1.1% +83.3%
2016 0.8% -27.3%
2018 1.4% +75.0%

Uruguay compared with similar countries

  • Uruguay's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.5%, 57% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • Uruguay's 1.4% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1.9%, 74% of the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
2000s 2.1% 1.4% 3.0% 4
2010s 1.0% 0.6% 1.4% 4

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 84 Colombia 1.6% compare
  2. 84 Finland 1.6% compare
  3. 84 Lesotho 1.6% compare
  4. 88 Belarus 1.3% compare
  5. 88 Palestine, State of 1.3% compare
  6. 90 Rwanda 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 113 places →

More health data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay?
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Uruguay was 1.4% in 2018, 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 2004.
What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2011.
How does Uruguay rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
Uruguay ranks 87th out of 99 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uruguay 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 Uruguay. 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 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-wasting-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/uruguay/

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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.