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Nutrition

Severe wasting in children

The share of children under five with the gravest degree of wasting — a condition that threatens life.

Unit: % of children under 5 Period: 1983–2024 Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO)
Source: WHO · About the indicator
Average: 1.31% Countries: 160

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 2000 to 2024.

Severe wasting in children, 2000–2024

Top-20 · % of children under 5

Severe wasting in children, 2000–202402.557.510South SudanSouth Sudan: 9.9%9.9IndiaIndia: 7.5%7.5Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea: 6.4%6.4SyriaSyria: 5.5%5.5YemenYemen: 5.2%5.2SudanSudan: 4.5%4.5SomaliaSomalia: 4.3%4.3EritreaEritrea: 4%4UkraineUkraine: 3.8%3.8MalaysiaMalaysia: 3.6%3.6Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands: 3.6%3.6NigeriaNigeria: 3.1%3.1OmanOman: 3.1%3.1BotswanaBotswana: 3%3NamibiaNamibia: 2.8%2.8LaosLaos: 2.7%2.7MauritaniaMauritania: 2.6%2.6Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo: 2.6%2.6ThailandThailand: 2.5%2.5BeninBenin: 2.4%2.4
Severe wasting in children — 2000–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 SS South Sudan 9.9 2010 160
2 IN India 7.5 2020 159
3 PG Papua New Guinea 6.4 2010 158
4 SY Syria 5.5 2010 157
5 YE Yemen 5.2 2022 156
6 SD Sudan 4.5 2014 155
7 SO Somalia 4.3 2009 154
8 ER Eritrea 4 2010 153
9 UA Ukraine 3.8 2000 152
10 MY Malaysia 3.6 2019 150
11 SB Solomon Islands 3.6 2015 150
12 NG Nigeria 3.1 2021 148
13 OM Oman 3.1 2017 148
14 BW Botswana 3 2007 147
15 NA Namibia 2.8 2013 146
16 LA Laos 2.7 2023 145
17 MR Mauritania 2.6 2022 143
18 CG Republic of the Congo 2.6 2014 143
19 TH Thailand 2.5 2022 142
20 BJ Benin 2.4 2021 137
21 KH Cambodia 2.4 2021 137
22 CI Côte d'Ivoire 2.4 2021 137
23 PK Pakistan 2.4 2018 137
24 SL Sierra Leone 2.4 2021 137
25 DJ Djibouti 2.3 2023 136
26 BG Bulgaria 2.1 2014 131
27 BI Burundi 2.1 2024 131
28 ID Indonesia 2.1 2023 131
29 NE Niger 2.1 2022 131
30 TT Trinidad and Tobago 2.1 2011 131
31 BB Barbados 2 2012 129
32 MV Maldives 2 2017 129
33 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 1.9 2023 127
34 GY Guyana 1.9 2019 127
35 AM Armenia 1.7 2016 123
36 BD Bangladesh 1.7 2022 123
37 GQ Equatorial Guinea 1.7 2011 123
38 ZA South Africa 1.7 2017 123
39 BT Bhutan 1.6 2023 117
40 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.6 2012 117
41 CM Cameroon 1.6 2018 117
42 CF Central African Republic 1.6 2022 117
43 TJ Tajikistan 1.6 2023 117
44 ZW Zimbabwe 1.6 2024 117
45 TD Chad 1.5 2022 110
46 EG Egypt 1.5 2021 110
47 GW Guinea-Bissau 1.5 2019 110
48 MG Madagascar 1.5 2021 110
49 TL Timor-Leste 1.5 2020 110
50 VU Vanuatu 1.5 2013 110
51 ZM Zambia 1.5 2018 110
52 ST Sao Tome and Principe 1.4 2019 109
53 DZ Algeria 1.3 2019 103
54 GN Guinea 1.3 2022 103
55 KI Kiribati 1.3 2018 103
56 KG Kyrgyzstan 1.3 2023 103
57 RU Russia 1.3 2005 103
58 TV Tuvalu 1.3 2019 103
59 AF Afghanistan 1.2 2022 97
60 KM Comoros 1.2 2022 97
61 GH Ghana 1.2 2022 97
62 WS Samoa 1.2 2019 97
63 SA Saudi Arabia 1.2 2020 97
64 SC Seychelles 1.2 2012 97
65 AO Angola 1.1 2015 88
66 ET Ethiopia 1.1 2019 88
67 FJ Fiji 1.1 2021 88
68 KZ Kazakhstan 1.1 2015 88
69 MH Marshall Islands 1.1 2017 88
70 SN Senegal 1.1 2023 88
71 TG Togo 1.1 2017 88
72 TM Turkmenistan 1.1 2019 88
73 UZ Uzbekistan 1.1 2021 88
74 JM Jamaica 1 2018 84
75 SR Suriname 1 2018 84
76 UG Uganda 1 2022 84
77 VN Vietnam 1 2020 84
78 BO Bolivia 0.9 2016 71
79 BF Burkina Faso 0.9 2021 71
80 CZ Czechia 0.9 2001 71
81 GA Gabon 0.9 2020 71
82 HT Haiti 0.9 2023 71
83 IR Iran 0.9 2017 71
84 IQ Iraq 0.9 2018 71
85 KW Kuwait 0.9 2023 71
86 LY Libya 0.9 2022 71
87 MN Mongolia 0.9 2023 71
88 MM Myanmar 0.9 2018 71
89 TZ Tanzania 0.9 2022 71
90 TN Tunisia 0.9 2018 71
91 BR Brazil 0.8 2019 67
92 NP Nepal 0.8 2022 67
93 PH Philippines 0.8 2021 67
94 LK Sri Lanka 0.8 2024 67
95 CN China 0.7 2010 58
96 SV El Salvador 0.7 2021 58
97 LT Lithuania 0.7 2021 58
98 MW Malawi 0.7 2020 58
99 ML Mali 0.7 2024 58
100 MZ Mozambique 0.7 2022 58
101 NI Nicaragua 0.7 2012 58
102 RO Romania 0.7 2002 58
103 LC Saint Lucia 0.7 2012 58
104 AZ Azerbaijan 0.6 2023 51
105 BY Belarus 0.6 2005 51
106 CU Cuba 0.6 2019 51
107 GM Gambia 0.6 2020 51
108 KE Kenya 0.6 2022 51
109 PS Palestine 0.6 2020 51
110 TR Türkiye 0.6 2018 51
111 AL Albania 0.5 2017 34
112 AR Argentina 0.5 2018 34
113 BZ Belize 0.5 2015 34
114 BN Brunei Darussalam 0.5 2009 34
115 CV Cabo Verde 0.5 2018 34
116 DO Dominican Republic 0.5 2019 34
117 SZ Eswatini 0.5 2021 34
118 HN Honduras 0.5 2019 34
119 LB Lebanon 0.5 2023 34
120 LR Liberia 0.5 2019 34
121 MD Moldova 0.5 2012 34
122 ME Montenegro 0.5 2018 34
123 MA Morocco 0.5 2019 34
124 KP North Korea 0.5 2017 34
125 MK North Macedonia 0.5 2019 34
126 RS Serbia 0.5 2019 34
127 SG Singapore 0.5 2000 34
128 CO Colombia 0.4 2016 30
129 JO Jordan 0.4 2023 30
130 PY Paraguay 0.4 2016 30
131 TO Tonga 0.4 2019 30
132 IE Ireland 0.3 2011 26
133 NR Nauru 0.3 2023 26
134 PA Panama 0.3 2019 26
135 QA Qatar 0.3 2023 26
136 FI Finland 0.2 2023 20
137 GT Guatemala 0.2 2021 20
138 JP Japan 0.2 2010 20
139 LS Lesotho 0.2 2024 20
140 RW Rwanda 0.2 2020 20
141 UY Uruguay 0.2 2018 20
142 BE Belgium 0.1 2023 5
143 CR Costa Rica 0.1 2018 5
144 EC Ecuador 0.1 2024 5
145 GE Georgia 0.1 2018 5
146 DE Germany 0.1 2016 5
147 GR Greece 0.1 2003 5
148 LV Latvia 0.1 2021 5
149 MT Malta 0.1 2022 5
150 MX Mexico 0.1 2022 5
151 NL Netherlands 0.1 2009 5
152 PL Poland 0.1 2018 5
153 PT Portugal 0.1 2016 5
154 KR South Korea 0.1 2020 5
155 TC Turks and Caicos Islands 0.1 2020 5
156 GB United Kingdom 0.1 2019 5
157 AU Australia 0 2007 1
158 EE Estonia 0 2014 1
159 PE Peru 0 2023 1
160 US United States 0 2018 1
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Maximum 9.9%
Median 0.9%
Minimum 0%
World 1.89%

About the indicator

The share of children under five whose weight falls short of the WHO norm for their height by more than three standard deviations. This is a subset of wasting, its extreme degree: without treatment mortality in this group runs into the tens of percent, which is why such cases are counted as a medical emergency and are treated with special therapeutic food. The indicator is the most sensitive of the child ones: it responds to a crisis earlier than the rest.

Important: Part of the wasting indicator rather than an addition to it: the two series cannot be added. The aggregate by group is weighted by the number of children aged 0–14.

Updates
annually
Unit of measurement
% of children under 5
Observation period
1983–2024
License
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Dataset
Global Health Observatory

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