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Nutrition

Wasting in children

The share of children under five whose weight is markedly below the norm for their height.

Unit: % of children under 5 Period: 1983–2024 Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO)
Source: WHO · About the indicator
Average: 4.8% Countries: 164

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 1995 to 2024.

Wasting in children, 1995–2024

Top-20 · % of children under 5

Wasting in children, 1995–20240102030South SudanSouth Sudan: 22.7%22.7IndiaIndia: 18.7%18.7YemenYemen: 16.8%16.8SudanSudan: 16.3%16.3MauritiusMauritius: 15.7%15.7EritreaEritrea: 14.6%14.6SomaliaSomalia: 14.3%14.3Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea: 14.1%14.1MauritaniaMauritania: 13.6%13.6DjiboutiDjibouti: 12.1%12.1NigeriaNigeria: 11.6%11.6SyriaSyria: 11.5%11.5MalaysiaMalaysia: 11%11NigerNiger: 10.9%10.9BangladeshBangladesh: 10.7%10.7LaosLaos: 10.7%10.7SenegalSenegal: 10.2%10.2CambodiaCambodia: 9.6%9.6Burkina FasoBurkina Faso: 9.3%9.3OmanOman: 9.3%9.3
Wasting in children — 1995–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 SS South Sudan 22.7 2010 164
2 IN India 18.7 2020 163
3 YE Yemen 16.8 2022 162
4 SD Sudan 16.3 2014 161
5 MU Mauritius 15.7 1995 160
6 ER Eritrea 14.6 2010 159
7 SO Somalia 14.3 2009 158
8 PG Papua New Guinea 14.1 2010 157
9 MR Mauritania 13.6 2022 156
10 DJ Djibouti 12.1 2023 155
11 NG Nigeria 11.6 2021 154
12 SY Syria 11.5 2010 153
13 MY Malaysia 11 2022 152
14 NE Niger 10.9 2022 151
15 BD Bangladesh 10.7 2022 149
16 LA Laos 10.7 2023 149
17 SN Senegal 10.2 2023 148
18 KH Cambodia 9.6 2021 147
19 BF Burkina Faso 9.3 2021 144
20 OM Oman 9.3 2017 144
21 LK Sri Lanka 9.3 2024 144
22 MV Maldives 9.1 2017 143
23 SB Solomon Islands 8.5 2015 142
24 ID Indonesia 8.4 2023 141
25 BJ Benin 8.3 2021 139
26 TL Timor-Leste 8.3 2020 139
27 CG Republic of the Congo 8.2 2014 137
28 UA Ukraine 8.2 2000 137
29 CI Côte d'Ivoire 8.1 2021 136
30 BI Burundi 7.8 2024 133
31 TD Chad 7.8 2022 133
32 GW Guinea-Bissau 7.8 2019 133
33 MM Myanmar 7.4 2018 132
34 BW Botswana 7.3 2007 131
35 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.2 2023 128
36 MG Madagascar 7.2 2021 128
37 TH Thailand 7.2 2022 128
38 NA Namibia 7.1 2013 126
39 PK Pakistan 7.1 2018 126
40 NP Nepal 7 2022 125
41 BB Barbados 6.8 2012 123
42 ET Ethiopia 6.8 2019 123
43 BH Bahrain 6.6 1995 122
44 GY Guyana 6.5 2019 121
45 GN Guinea 6.4 2022 118
46 TJ Tajikistan 6.4 2023 118
47 TT Trinidad and Tobago 6.4 2011 118
48 SL Sierra Leone 6.3 2021 117
49 BG Bulgaria 5.9 2014 116
50 GH Ghana 5.8 2022 115
51 TG Togo 5.7 2017 114
52 SR Suriname 5.5 2018 113
53 ML Mali 5.4 2024 111
54 PH Philippines 5.4 2021 111
55 CF Central African Republic 5.2 2022 110
56 BT Bhutan 5.1 2023 106
57 KM Comoros 5.1 2022 106
58 GM Gambia 5.1 2020 106
59 ZW Zimbabwe 5.1 2024 106
60 HT Haiti 5 2023 105
61 AO Angola 4.9 2015 103
62 LT Lithuania 4.9 2021 103
63 VU Vanuatu 4.7 2013 102
64 FJ Fiji 4.6 2021 101
65 CZ Czechia 4.5 2001 99
66 KE Kenya 4.5 2022 99
67 AM Armenia 4.4 2016 97
68 VN Vietnam 4.4 2023 97
69 CM Cameroon 4.3 2018 94
70 IR Iran 4.3 2017 94
71 SC Seychelles 4.3 2012 94
72 ZM Zambia 4.2 2018 93
73 ST Sao Tome and Principe 4.1 2019 90
74 TM Turkmenistan 4.1 2019 90
75 VE Venezuela 4.1 2009 90
76 SA Saudi Arabia 3.9 2020 89
77 MZ Mozambique 3.8 2022 88
78 LC Saint Lucia 3.7 2012 87
79 AF Afghanistan 3.6 2022 84
80 SG Singapore 3.6 2000 84
81 ZA South Africa 3.6 2017 84
82 AZ Azerbaijan 3.5 2023 78
83 KI Kiribati 3.5 2018 78
84 KW Kuwait 3.5 2023 78
85 LY Libya 3.5 2022 78
86 MH Marshall Islands 3.5 2017 78
87 RO Romania 3.5 2002 78
88 BR Brazil 3.4 2019 74
89 GA Gabon 3.4 2020 74
90 LR Liberia 3.4 2019 74
91 MK North Macedonia 3.4 2019 74
92 EG Egypt 3.3 2021 72
93 RU Russia 3.3 2005 72
94 JM Jamaica 3.2 2018 70
95 UG Uganda 3.2 2022 70
96 GQ Equatorial Guinea 3.1 2011 66
97 KZ Kazakhstan 3.1 2015 66
98 WS Samoa 3.1 2019 66
99 TZ Tanzania 3.1 2022 66
100 IQ Iraq 3 2018 64
101 KG Kyrgyzstan 3 2023 64
102 BN Brunei Darussalam 2.9 2009 62
103 SV El Salvador 2.9 2021 62
104 TV Tuvalu 2.8 2019 61
105 DZ Algeria 2.7 2019 59
106 MN Mongolia 2.7 2023 59
107 MW Malawi 2.6 2020 57
108 RS Serbia 2.6 2019 57
109 KP North Korea 2.5 2017 56
110 CV Cabo Verde 2.4 2018 52
111 JP Japan 2.4 2010 52
112 MA Morocco 2.4 2019 52
113 UZ Uzbekistan 2.4 2021 52
114 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 2.3 2012 50
115 JO Jordan 2.3 2023 50
116 DO Dominican Republic 2.2 2019 47
117 ME Montenegro 2.2 2018 47
118 NI Nicaragua 2.2 2012 47
119 TN Tunisia 2.1 2018 46
120 BO Bolivia 2 2016 44
121 CU Cuba 2 2019 44
122 CN China 1.9 2017 41
123 HN Honduras 1.9 2019 41
124 MD Moldova 1.9 2012 41
125 BZ Belize 1.8 2015 38
126 CR Costa Rica 1.8 2018 38
127 SZ Eswatini 1.8 2021 38
128 AR Argentina 1.7 2018 35
129 LV Latvia 1.7 2021 35
130 TR Türkiye 1.7 2018 35
131 AL Albania 1.6 2017 30
132 CO Colombia 1.6 2016 30
133 FI Finland 1.6 2023 30
134 LS Lesotho 1.6 2024 30
135 QA Qatar 1.6 2023 30
136 EE Estonia 1.5 2014 28
137 GR Greece 1.5 2003 28
138 UY Uruguay 1.4 2018 27
139 BY Belarus 1.3 2023 23
140 LB Lebanon 1.3 2023 23
141 NR Nauru 1.3 2023 23
142 PS Palestine 1.3 2020 23
143 TC Turks and Caicos Islands 1.2 2020 22
144 PA Panama 1.1 2019 18
145 PT Portugal 1.1 2016 18
146 RW Rwanda 1.1 2020 18
147 TO Tonga 1.1 2019 18
148 MX Mexico 1 2022 15
149 NL Netherlands 1 2009 15
150 PY Paraguay 1 2016 15
151 BE Belgium 0.8 2023 12
152 GT Guatemala 0.8 2021 12
153 PL Poland 0.8 2018 12
154 EC Ecuador 0.7 2024 11
155 GE Georgia 0.6 2018 9
156 PE Peru 0.6 2023 9
157 DE Germany 0.5 2016 8
158 IE Ireland 0.4 2011 5
159 MT Malta 0.4 2022 5
160 GB United Kingdom 0.4 2019 5
161 CL Chile 0.3 2014 4
162 AU Australia 0.2 2007 2
163 KR South Korea 0.2 2020 2
164 US United States 0.1 2022 1
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Maximum 22.7%
Median 3.5%
Minimum 0.1%
World 6.6%

About the indicator

The share of children under five whose weight falls short of the WHO norm for their height by more than two standard deviations. Unlike stunting, wasting speaks of an acute shortage of nutrition or of a recent illness, and it is reversible: with normal feeding a child regains the weight. That is exactly why wasting serves as an indicator of a current crisis — drought, war, breaks in supply — and not of long-standing poverty.

Important: The data come from sample surveys, so the years are intermittent. 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

Related indicators

Nutrition 1983–2024 Severe wasting in children

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

% of children under 5 45 countries WHO Nutrition 1983–2024 Stunting in children

The share of children under five whose height is markedly below the norm for their age.

% of children under 5 46 countries WHO Nutrition 1983–2024 Underweight children

The share of children under 5 whose weight is insufficient for their age.

% of children under 5 44 countries WHO Nutrition 2014–2024 Food insecurity

The share of people who at least once during the year lacked money or access to food.

% of population 134 countries FAO
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