Wasting in children — all countries

Wasting in children — Pakistan

Wasting in children in Pakistan in 2018 — 7.1%. Ranked 38 in the world out of 48. Since 1986, the indicator has fallen by 16.9 pp.

2018 7.1% −3.4 pp vs 2013
World rank 38of 48
Period maximum 24%1986
Period minimum 7.1%2018

Trend over time

1986–2018 · % of children under 5

Wasting in children — Pakistan, 1986–201801020301986199019941998200220062010201420181986: 24%1991: 12.5%1992: 17.2%2001: 14.1%2011: 14.9%2013: 10.5%2018: 7.1%
Change over the period: −16.9 pp Annual average: -0.53 pp

Comparison, 2018

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Pakistan

Pakistan 7.1%
World 6.8%
South Asia 16.3%
Wasting in children — Pakistan, by year Pakistan All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2018 7.1
2013 10.5
2011 14.9
2001 14.1
1992 17.2 +4.7 pp
1991 12.5
1986 24

Southern Asia, 2018

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.