Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Africa (WHO regions)

Africa (WHO regions): Weight-for-height <-2 SD was 5.6 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5.6
Change on year
down 1.8%
Rank
19th
of 56 groups
All-time high
9
in 2000
All-time low
5.6
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Africa (WHO regions), 2000–2024

02468102000201220242000: 92001: 8.82002: 8.62003: 8.52004: 8.32005: 8.12006: 82007: 7.82008: 7.72009: 7.52010: 7.42011: 7.22012: 7.12013: 6.92014: 6.82015: 6.72016: 6.52017: 6.42018: 6.32019: 6.22020: 62021: 5.92022: 5.82023: 5.72024: 5.6

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Africa (WHO regions) recorded 5.6 for weight-for-height <-2 sd in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, weight-for-height <-2 sd in Africa (WHO regions) peaked at 9 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.6, in 2024.

Africa (WHO regions) ranks 19th of 56 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Africa (WHO regions), year by year

Annual values for Weight-for-height <-2 SD (wasting) in Africa (WHO regions), 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 9
2001 8.8 -2.2%
2002 8.6 -2.3%
2003 8.5 -1.2%
2004 8.3 -2.4%
2005 8.1 -2.4%
2006 8 -1.2%
2007 7.8 -2.5%
2008 7.7 -1.3%
2009 7.5 -2.6%
2010 7.4 -1.3%
2011 7.2 -2.7%
2012 7.1 -1.4%
2013 6.9 -2.8%
2014 6.8 -1.4%
2015 6.7 -1.5%
2016 6.5 -3.0%
2017 6.4 -1.5%
2018 6.3 -1.6%
2019 6.2 -1.6%
2020 6 -3.2%
2021 5.9 -1.7%
2022 5.8 -1.7%
2023 5.7 -1.7%
2024 5.6 -1.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.23 7.5 9 10
2010s 6.75 6.2 7.4 10
2020s 5.8 5.6 6 5

Countries ranked near Africa (WHO regions)

  1. 16 Maldives 9.15 compare
  2. 17 Indonesia 8.37 compare
  3. 18 Timor-Leste 8.29 compare
  4. 19 Benin 8.29 compare
  5. 20 Côte d'Ivoire 8.06 compare
  6. 21 Guinea-Bissau 7.82 compare
  7. 22 Burundi 7.8 compare

See the full ranking of 154 places →

More health data for Africa (WHO regions)

All data for Africa (WHO regions) →

Frequently asked questions

What is weight-for-height <-2 sd in Africa (WHO regions)?
Weight-for-height <-2 sd in Africa (WHO regions) was 5.6 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in Africa (WHO regions)?
The highest recorded value was 9 in 2000.
What is the lowest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in Africa (WHO regions)?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6 in 2024.
How does Africa (WHO regions) rank for weight-for-height <-2 sd?
Africa (WHO regions) ranks 19th out of 56 groups with data for 2024.
Is weight-for-height <-2 sd rising or falling in Africa (WHO regions)?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa (WHO regions) data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Weight-for-height <-2 SD (wasting). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Africa (WHO regions). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/weight-for-height-2-sd-wasting/africa-who-regions/

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About this data

Indicator
Weight-for-height <-2 SD (wasting)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
154 places, 2,355 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed