Prevalence of wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) - Country Ranking
Definition: Prevalence of wasting is the proportion of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59.
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child malnutrition estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology.
See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Djibouti | 21.50 | 2012 |
| 2 | India | 17.30 | 2017 |
| 3 | Yemen | 16.40 | 2013 |
| 4 | Sudan | 16.30 | 2014 |
| 5 | Mauritius | 15.70 | 1995 |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 15.10 | 2016 |
| 7 | Eritrea | 14.60 | 2010 |
| 8 | Somalia | 14.30 | 2009 |
| 9 | Papua New Guinea | 14.10 | 2010 |
| 10 | Chad | 13.90 | 2019 |
| 11 | Nepal | 12.00 | 2019 |
| 12 | Saudi Arabia | 11.80 | 2004 |
| 13 | Mauritania | 11.50 | 2018 |
| 13 | Syrian Arab Republic | 11.50 | 2010 |
| 15 | Comoros | 11.20 | 2012 |
| 16 | Libya | 10.20 | 2014 |
| 16 | Indonesia | 10.20 | 2018 |
| 18 | Timor-Leste | 9.90 | 2013 |
| 19 | Bangladesh | 9.80 | 2019 |
| 19 | Niger | 9.80 | 2019 |
| 21 | Malaysia | 9.70 | 2019 |
| 21 | Cambodia | 9.70 | 2014 |
| 23 | Egypt | 9.50 | 2014 |
| 24 | Oman | 9.30 | 2017 |
| 24 | Mali | 9.30 | 2019 |
| 26 | Guinea | 9.20 | 2018 |
| 27 | Lao PDR | 9.00 | 2017 |
| 28 | Solomon Islands | 8.50 | 2015 |
| 29 | Congo | 8.20 | 2014 |
| 29 | Ukraine | 8.20 | 2000 |
| 31 | Burkina Faso | 8.10 | 2019 |
| 31 | Senegal | 8.10 | 2019 |
| 33 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.80 | 2019 |
| 34 | Thailand | 7.70 | 2019 |
| 35 | Botswana | 7.30 | 2007 |
| 36 | Ethiopia | 7.20 | 2019 |
| 37 | Pakistan | 7.10 | 2018 |
| 37 | Namibia | 7.10 | 2013 |
| 39 | Cabo Verde | 6.90 | 1994 |
| 40 | Barbados | 6.80 | 2012 |
| 40 | Ghana | 6.80 | 2017 |
| 42 | Myanmar | 6.70 | 2018 |
| 43 | Lebanon | 6.60 | 2004 |
| 43 | Bahrain | 6.60 | 1995 |
| 45 | Nigeria | 6.50 | 2020 |
| 46 | Madagascar | 6.40 | 2018 |
| 46 | Trinidad and Tobago | 6.40 | 2011 |
| 46 | Guyana | 6.40 | 2014 |
| 46 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 6.40 | 2017 |
| 50 | Bulgaria | 6.30 | 2014 |
| 50 | Fiji | 6.30 | 2004 |
| 52 | Côte d'Ivoire | 6.10 | 2016 |
| 53 | Bhutan | 5.90 | 2010 |
| 54 | Vietnam | 5.80 | 2017 |
| 55 | Togo | 5.70 | 2017 |
| 56 | Tajikistan | 5.60 | 2017 |
| 56 | Philippines | 5.60 | 2018 |
| 58 | Suriname | 5.50 | 2018 |
| 59 | Sierra Leone | 5.40 | 2019 |
| 60 | Central African Republic | 5.20 | 2019 |
| 61 | Afghanistan | 5.10 | 2018 |
| 61 | The Gambia | 5.10 | 2020 |
| 63 | Benin | 5.00 | 2018 |
| 64 | Angola | 4.90 | 2015 |
| 65 | Burundi | 4.80 | 2019 |
| 66 | Vanuatu | 4.70 | 2013 |
| 67 | Czech Republic | 4.60 | 2001 |
| 68 | Mozambique | 4.40 | 2015 |
| 68 | Armenia | 4.40 | 2016 |
| 70 | Seychelles | 4.30 | 2012 |
| 70 | Cameroon | 4.30 | 2018 |
| 72 | Zambia | 4.20 | 2018 |
| 72 | Kenya | 4.20 | 2014 |
| 74 | São Tomé and Principe | 4.10 | 2019 |
| 74 | Venezuela | 4.10 | 2009 |
| 74 | Turkmenistan | 4.10 | 2019 |
| 77 | Iran | 4.00 | 2010 |
| 78 | St. Lucia | 3.70 | 2012 |
| 78 | Ecuador | 3.70 | 2019 |
| 78 | Haiti | 3.70 | 2017 |
| 81 | Singapore | 3.60 | 2000 |
| 82 | Kiribati | 3.50 | 2018 |
| 82 | Romania | 3.50 | 2002 |
| 82 | Tanzania | 3.50 | 2018 |
| 82 | Uganda | 3.50 | 2016 |
| 86 | South Africa | 3.40 | 2017 |
| 86 | North Macedonia | 3.40 | 2019 |
| 86 | Liberia | 3.40 | 2019 |
| 86 | Gabon | 3.40 | 2012 |
| 90 | Jamaica | 3.30 | 2016 |
| 90 | Tuvalu | 3.30 | 2007 |
| 92 | Azerbaijan | 3.20 | 2013 |
| 93 | Equatorial Guinea | 3.10 | 2011 |
| 93 | Kazakhstan | 3.10 | 2015 |
| 93 | Samoa | 3.10 | 2019 |
| 96 | Iraq | 3.00 | 2018 |
| 97 | Brunei | 2.90 | 2009 |
| 97 | Zimbabwe | 2.90 | 2019 |
| 99 | Algeria | 2.70 | 2019 |
| 100 | Serbia | 2.60 | 2019 |
| 100 | Morocco | 2.60 | 2017 |
| 102 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 2.50 | 2017 |
| 102 | Kuwait | 2.50 | 2017 |
| 104 | Jordan | 2.40 | 2012 |
| 104 | Dominican Republic | 2.40 | 2013 |
| 106 | Japan | 2.30 | 2010 |
| 106 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2.30 | 2012 |
| 108 | Belarus | 2.20 | 2005 |
| 108 | Nicaragua | 2.20 | 2012 |
| 108 | Montenegro | 2.20 | 2018 |
| 111 | El Salvador | 2.10 | 2014 |
| 111 | Lesotho | 2.10 | 2018 |
| 111 | Tunisia | 2.10 | 2018 |
| 111 | Qatar | 2.10 | 1995 |
| 115 | Eswatini | 2.00 | 2014 |
| 115 | Kyrgyz Republic | 2.00 | 2018 |
| 115 | Cuba | 2.00 | 2019 |
| 115 | Bolivia | 2.00 | 2016 |
| 119 | Moldova | 1.90 | 2012 |
| 119 | China | 1.90 | 2017 |
| 121 | Costa Rica | 1.80 | 2018 |
| 121 | Belize | 1.80 | 2015 |
| 121 | Brazil | 1.80 | 2007 |
| 121 | Uzbekistan | 1.80 | 2017 |
| 125 | Turkey | 1.70 | 2018 |
| 126 | Albania | 1.60 | 2017 |
| 126 | Argentina | 1.60 | 2019 |
| 126 | Colombia | 1.60 | 2016 |
| 129 | Estonia | 1.50 | 2014 |
| 130 | Mexico | 1.40 | 2019 |
| 130 | Honduras | 1.40 | 2012 |
| 130 | Uruguay | 1.40 | 2018 |
| 133 | Panama | 1.20 | 2008 |
| 133 | Korea | 1.20 | 2009 |
| 135 | Rwanda | 1.10 | 2020 |
| 135 | Tonga | 1.10 | 2019 |
| 137 | Paraguay | 1.00 | 2016 |
| 137 | Netherlands | 1.00 | 2009 |
| 137 | Nauru | 1.00 | 2007 |
| 140 | Mongolia | 0.90 | 2018 |
| 141 | Guatemala | 0.80 | 2015 |
| 142 | Poland | 0.70 | 2011 |
| 143 | Georgia | 0.60 | 2018 |
| 143 | Greece | 0.60 | 2003 |
| 143 | Malawi | 0.60 | 2019 |
| 143 | Portugal | 0.60 | 2016 |
| 147 | Belgium | 0.40 | 2014 |
| 147 | Peru | 0.40 | 2019 |
| 149 | Chile | 0.30 | 2014 |
| 149 | Germany | 0.30 | 2016 |
| 151 | United States | 0.10 | 2018 |
| 152 | Australia | 0.00 | 2007 |
More rankings: Africa | Asia | Central America & the Caribbean | Europe | Middle East | North America | Oceania | South America | World |
Aggregation method: Linear mixed-effect model estimates
Periodicity: Annual
General Comments: Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them int
