Weight-for-height <-2 SD (wasting) in Vietnam

Vietnam: Weight-for-height <-2 SD was 4.4 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
4.4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
47th
of 98 countries
All-time high
13.5
in 1994
All-time low
4.12
in 2010
Years of data
26
1988–2023

Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Vietnam, 1988–2023

4681012141988200520231988: 11.11993: 6.71994: 13.51998: 11.91999: 10.92000: 6.12002: 8.82003: 10.82004: 11.22005: 10.62006: 9.82007: 102008: 9.42009: 7.12010: 4.12011: 6.62012: 6.72013: 6.62014: 6.82015: 6.42017: 5.82018: 5.42019: 5.22020: 4.72022: 4.42023: 4.4

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Vietnam recorded 4.4 for weight-for-height <-2 sd in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 33.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, weight-for-height <-2 sd in Vietnam peaked at 13.5 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4.12, in 2010.

Vietnam ranks 47th of 98 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.

Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Vietnam, year by year

Annual values for Weight-for-height <-2 SD (wasting) in Vietnam, 1988 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1988 11.1 —
1993 6.68 -39.8%
1994 13.5 +102.0%
1998 11.9 -11.9%
1999 10.91 -8.3%
2000 6.12 -43.9%
2002 8.84 +44.4%
2003 10.81 +22.3%
2004 11.15 +3.2%
2005 10.58 -5.1%
2006 9.84 -7.0%
2007 10.02 +1.9%
2008 9.44 -5.8%
2009 7.1 -24.8%
2010 4.12 -42.0%
2011 6.6 +60.2%
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%

Vietnam compared with similar countries

  • Vietnam's 4.4 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.96, 1.5× the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Vietnam's 4.4 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 7.19, 61% of the median. (13 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Weight-for-height <-2 SD in Vietnam 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
1994 +102.0% 6.68 13.5
2011 +60.2% 4.12 6.6

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 11.1 11.1 11.1 1
1990s 10.75 6.68 13.5 4
2000s 9.32 6.12 11.15 9
2010s 5.96 4.12 6.8 9
2020s 4.5 4.4 4.7 3

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 44 Haiti 4.98 compare
  2. 45 Kenya 4.53 compare
  3. 46 Armenia 4.43 compare
  4. 48 Cameroon 4.3 compare
  5. 49 Iran 4.3 compare
  6. 50 Zambia 4.23 compare

See the full ranking of 154 places →

More health data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is weight-for-height <-2 sd in Vietnam?
Weight-for-height <-2 sd in Vietnam was 4.4 in 2023, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 13.5 in 1994.
What is the lowest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 4.12 in 2010.
How does Vietnam rank for weight-for-height <-2 sd?
Vietnam ranks 47th out of 98 countries with data for 2023.
Is weight-for-height <-2 sd rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Vietnam 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 Vietnam. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 07 October 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/weight-for-height-2-sd-wasting/viet-nam/

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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