Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam
Viet Nam: Prevalence of wasting, weight for height was 4.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam, 1988–2023
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 Viet Nam is 4.4%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam peaked at 13.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2010.
Viet Nam ranks 46th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 11.1% | — |
| 1993 | 6.7% | -39.6% |
| 1994 | 13.5% | +101.5% |
| 1998 | 11.9% | -11.9% |
| 1999 | 10.9% | -8.4% |
| 2000 | 6.1% | -44.0% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | +44.3% |
| 2003 | 10.8% | +22.7% |
| 2004 | 11.2% | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 9.8% | -7.5% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 7.1% | -24.5% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -42.3% |
| 2011 | 6.6% | +61.0% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 6.6% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 6.4% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 4.7% | -9.6% |
| 2022 | 4.4% | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 4.4% | +0.0% |
Viet Nam compared with similar countries
- Viet Nam's 4.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.0%, 1.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Viet Nam's 4.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.2%, 61% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +101.5% | 6.7% | 13.5% |
| 2011 | +61.0% | 4.1% | 6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.1% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.8% | 6.7% | 13.5% | 4 |
| 2000s | 9.3% | 6.1% | 11.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 6.0% | 4.1% | 6.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Viet Nam
More health data for Viet Nam
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.66 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0536 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,306 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,132 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 27 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 0.0322 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.33 % 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 Viet Nam?
- Prevalence of wasting, weight for height in Viet Nam was 4.4% in 2023, 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 Viet Nam?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest prevalence of wasting, weight for height recorded in Viet Nam?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2010.
- How does Viet Nam rank for prevalence of wasting, weight for height?
- Viet Nam ranks 46th out of 99 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of wasting, weight for height rising or falling in Viet Nam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Viet Nam 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.