Wasting in children — all countries

Wasting in children — Guinea-Bissau

Wasting in children in Guinea-Bissau in 2019 — 7.8%. Ranked 34 in the world out of 46. Since 2000, the indicator has fallen by 4 pp.

2019 7.8% +1.8 pp vs 2014
World rank 34of 46
Period maximum 11.8%2000
Period minimum 4.8%2008

Trend over time

2000–2019 · % of children under 5

Wasting in children — Guinea-Bissau, 2000–20194681012200020022004200620082010201220142016201820192000: 11.8%2008: 4.8%2010: 5.9%2012: 6.2%2014: 6%2019: 7.8%
Change over the period: −4 pp Annual average: -0.21 pp

Comparison, 2019

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau 7.8%
World 6.8%
Wasting in children — Guinea-Bissau, by year Guinea-Bissau All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2019 7.8
2014 6
2012 6.2
2010 5.9
2008 4.8
2000 11.8

Western Africa, 2019

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

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.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.