Weight-for-height <-2 SD in World

World: Weight-for-height <-2 SD was 6.6 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6.6
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
12th
of 56 regions
All-time high
8.8
in 2000
All-time low
6.6
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Weight-for-height <-2 SD in World, 2000–2024

024682000201220242000: 8.82001: 8.72002: 8.62003: 8.52004: 8.42005: 8.32006: 8.22007: 8.12008: 7.92009: 7.82010: 7.72011: 7.62012: 7.42013: 7.32014: 7.22015: 7.12016: 72017: 6.92018: 6.82019: 6.82020: 6.72021: 6.72022: 6.72023: 6.62024: 6.6

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

The most recent figure for weight-for-height <-2 sd in World is 6.6, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, weight-for-height <-2 sd in World peaked at 8.8 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.6, in 2023.

That places World 12th out of 56 regions with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.33 7.8 8.8 10
2010s 7.18 6.8 7.7 10
2020s 6.66 6.6 6.7 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 9 Bangladesh 10.71 compare
  2. 10 Lao People's Democratic Republic 10.7 compare
  3. 11 Senegal 10.17 compare
  4. 12 Cambodia 9.61 compare
  5. 13 Burkina Faso 9.34 compare
  6. 14 Sri Lanka 9.3 compare
  7. 14 Oman 9.3 compare

See the full ranking of 154 places →

More health data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is weight-for-height <-2 sd in World?
Weight-for-height <-2 sd in World was 6.6 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 8.8 in 2000.
What is the lowest weight-for-height <-2 sd recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 6.6 in 2023.
How does World rank for weight-for-height <-2 sd?
World ranks 12th out of 56 regions with data for 2024.
Is weight-for-height <-2 sd rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

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Weight-for-height <-2 SD in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/weight-for-height-2-sd-wasting/world/

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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