Prevalence of severe wasting, weight for height (% of children under 5) - Country Ranking
Definition: Prevalence of severe wasting is the proportion of children under age 5 whose weight for height is more than three 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 | 9.20 | 2012 |
| 2 | Papua New Guinea | 6.40 | 2010 |
| 3 | Syrian Arab Republic | 5.50 | 2010 |
| 4 | Yemen | 5.40 | 2013 |
| 5 | Libya | 5.30 | 2014 |
| 6 | India | 4.90 | 2017 |
| 7 | Egypt | 4.80 | 2014 |
| 8 | Comoros | 4.50 | 2012 |
| 8 | Chad | 4.50 | 2019 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 4.50 | 2004 |
| 8 | Sudan | 4.50 | 2014 |
| 12 | Somalia | 4.30 | 2009 |
| 13 | Eritrea | 4.00 | 2010 |
| 14 | Ukraine | 3.80 | 2000 |
| 15 | Solomon Islands | 3.60 | 2015 |
| 15 | Guinea | 3.60 | 2018 |
| 15 | Malaysia | 3.60 | 2019 |
| 18 | Indonesia | 3.50 | 2018 |
| 19 | Sri Lanka | 3.10 | 2016 |
| 19 | Oman | 3.10 | 2017 |
| 21 | Lao PDR | 3.00 | 2017 |
| 21 | Botswana | 3.00 | 2007 |
| 23 | Lebanon | 2.90 | 2004 |
| 23 | Nepal | 2.90 | 2019 |
| 25 | Namibia | 2.80 | 2013 |
| 26 | Thailand | 2.70 | 2019 |
| 27 | Congo | 2.60 | 2014 |
| 28 | Cambodia | 2.50 | 2014 |
| 28 | Bulgaria | 2.50 | 2014 |
| 30 | Pakistan | 2.40 | 2018 |
| 30 | Niger | 2.40 | 2019 |
| 32 | Mauritania | 2.30 | 2018 |
| 32 | Bangladesh | 2.30 | 2019 |
| 34 | Timor-Leste | 2.10 | 2013 |
| 34 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2.10 | 2011 |
| 36 | Mali | 2.00 | 2019 |
| 36 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 2.00 | 2017 |
| 36 | Fiji | 2.00 | 2004 |
| 36 | Barbados | 2.00 | 2012 |
| 36 | Bhutan | 2.00 | 2010 |
| 41 | Tajikistan | 1.80 | 2017 |
| 42 | Equatorial Guinea | 1.70 | 2011 |
| 42 | Guyana | 1.70 | 2014 |
| 42 | South Africa | 1.70 | 2017 |
| 42 | Armenia | 1.70 | 2016 |
| 42 | Mozambique | 1.70 | 2015 |
| 47 | Afghanistan | 1.60 | 2018 |
| 47 | Cameroon | 1.60 | 2018 |
| 47 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.60 | 2012 |
| 47 | Philippines | 1.60 | 2015 |
| 51 | Vanuatu | 1.50 | 2013 |
| 51 | Guinea-Bissau | 1.50 | 2019 |
| 51 | Zambia | 1.50 | 2018 |
| 54 | Nigeria | 1.40 | 2020 |
| 54 | Iran | 1.40 | 2010 |
| 54 | Ecuador | 1.40 | 2019 |
| 54 | São Tomé and Principe | 1.40 | 2019 |
| 58 | Uganda | 1.30 | 2016 |
| 58 | Algeria | 1.30 | 2019 |
| 58 | Gabon | 1.30 | 2012 |
| 58 | Kiribati | 1.30 | 2018 |
| 58 | Samoa | 1.30 | 2014 |
| 63 | Senegal | 1.20 | 2019 |
| 63 | Côte d'Ivoire | 1.20 | 2016 |
| 63 | Ethiopia | 1.20 | 2019 |
| 63 | Vietnam | 1.20 | 2017 |
| 63 | Seychelles | 1.20 | 2012 |
| 68 | Togo | 1.10 | 2017 |
| 68 | Sierra Leone | 1.10 | 2019 |
| 68 | Angola | 1.10 | 2015 |
| 68 | Ghana | 1.10 | 2017 |
| 68 | Kazakhstan | 1.10 | 2015 |
| 68 | Morocco | 1.10 | 2017 |
| 68 | Benin | 1.10 | 2018 |
| 68 | Azerbaijan | 1.10 | 2013 |
| 68 | Turkmenistan | 1.10 | 2019 |
| 77 | Suriname | 1.00 | 2018 |
| 77 | Madagascar | 1.00 | 2018 |
| 77 | Czech Republic | 1.00 | 2001 |
| 77 | Burundi | 1.00 | 2019 |
| 77 | Burkina Faso | 1.00 | 2019 |
| 77 | Kenya | 1.00 | 2014 |
| 83 | Iraq | 0.90 | 2018 |
| 83 | Tunisia | 0.90 | 2018 |
| 83 | Tuvalu | 0.90 | 2007 |
| 83 | Bolivia | 0.90 | 2016 |
| 83 | Central African Republic | 0.90 | 2019 |
| 88 | Dominican Republic | 0.80 | 2013 |
| 88 | Lesotho | 0.80 | 2018 |
| 88 | Myanmar | 0.80 | 2018 |
| 88 | Haiti | 0.80 | 2017 |
| 92 | Kyrgyz Republic | 0.70 | 2018 |
| 92 | China | 0.70 | 2010 |
| 92 | Nicaragua | 0.70 | 2012 |
| 92 | Romania | 0.70 | 2002 |
| 92 | Jordan | 0.70 | 2012 |
| 92 | St. Lucia | 0.70 | 2012 |
| 98 | Cuba | 0.60 | 2019 |
| 98 | Turkey | 0.60 | 2018 |
| 98 | Kuwait | 0.60 | 2014 |
| 98 | Belarus | 0.60 | 2005 |
| 98 | The Gambia | 0.60 | 2020 |
| 103 | Jamaica | 0.50 | 2016 |
| 103 | Belize | 0.50 | 2015 |
| 103 | Singapore | 0.50 | 2000 |
| 103 | Serbia | 0.50 | 2019 |
| 103 | Montenegro | 0.50 | 2018 |
| 103 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 0.50 | 2017 |
| 103 | Albania | 0.50 | 2017 |
| 103 | Liberia | 0.50 | 2019 |
| 103 | North Macedonia | 0.50 | 2019 |
| 103 | Moldova | 0.50 | 2012 |
| 113 | Paraguay | 0.40 | 2016 |
| 113 | El Salvador | 0.40 | 2014 |
| 113 | Tanzania | 0.40 | 2018 |
| 113 | Tonga | 0.40 | 2019 |
| 113 | Eswatini | 0.40 | 2014 |
| 113 | Brazil | 0.40 | 2007 |
| 113 | Brunei | 0.40 | 2009 |
| 113 | Colombia | 0.40 | 2016 |
| 113 | Mexico | 0.40 | 2019 |
| 122 | Mongolia | 0.30 | 2018 |
| 122 | Zimbabwe | 0.30 | 2019 |
| 122 | Uzbekistan | 0.30 | 2017 |
| 122 | Panama | 0.30 | 2008 |
| 122 | Honduras | 0.30 | 2012 |
| 127 | Japan | 0.20 | 2010 |
| 127 | Argentina | 0.20 | 2005 |
| 127 | Uruguay | 0.20 | 2018 |
| 127 | Rwanda | 0.20 | 2020 |
| 127 | Nauru | 0.20 | 2007 |
| 132 | Malawi | 0.10 | 2019 |
| 132 | Netherlands | 0.10 | 2009 |
| 132 | Portugal | 0.10 | 2016 |
| 132 | Korea | 0.10 | 2009 |
| 132 | Guatemala | 0.10 | 2015 |
| 132 | Costa Rica | 0.10 | 2018 |
| 132 | Germany | 0.10 | 2004 |
| 132 | Peru | 0.10 | 2019 |
| 132 | Georgia | 0.10 | 2018 |
| 141 | Australia | 0.00 | 2007 |
| 141 | Poland | 0.00 | 2011 |
| 141 | Belgium | 0.00 | 2014 |
| 141 | Estonia | 0.00 | 2014 |
| 141 | Greece | 0.00 | 2003 |
| 141 | United States | 0.00 | 2018 |
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
