Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted by country
Estimated number of children younger than five who are 'wasted'. Wasting is when a child’s weight is significantly lower than the average for their height, for example because of acute food shortage or disease.
Countries reporting
99
Highest
22.17 million
India
Lowest
2,460
Bhutan
Median
85,350
Years covered
40
1985–2024
Data points
962
What the numbers show
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted is currently reported for 99 countries. The highest value is 22.17 million in India; the lowest is 2,460 in Bhutan.
The median across all reporting countries is 85,350, and the mean is 483,667.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 9,014.
Over the past decade 35 countries rose and 63 fell. The largest increase was in Syria (up 188.2%), and the largest decrease in United States (down 69.3%).
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 22.17 million | 2020 | down 16.9% | falling |
| 2 | Nigeria | 3.86 million | 2021 | up 24.0% | flat |
| 3 | Pakistan | 2.19 million | 2018 | down 50.4% | falling |
| 4 | Indonesia | 1.88 million | 2023 | down 43.3% | falling |
| 5 | Bangladesh | 1.74 million | 2022 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 6 | China | 1.72 million | 2017 | down 19.4% | falling |
| 7 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 1.39 million | 2023 | up 21.8% | rising |
| 8 | Ethiopia | 1.17 million | 2019 | down 22.7% | rising |
| 9 | Yemen | 1.03 million | 2022 | up 74.7% | rising |
| 10 | Philippines | 574,510 | 2021 | down 32.8% | falling |
| 11 | Niger | 497,560 | 2022 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 12 | Egypt | 405,890 | 2021 | down 51.4% | rising |
| 13 | Cote d'Ivoire | 368,480 | 2021 | up 78.3% | rising |
| 14 | Syria | 348,130 | 2010 | up 188.2% | rising |
| 15 | Myanmar | 334,130 | 2018 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 16 | Tanzania | 328,470 | 2022 | down 33.4% | flat |
| 17 | Iran | 326,020 | 2017 | up 26.0% | falling |
| 18 | Madagascar | 318,250 | 2021 | up 49.8% | rising |
| 19 | Vietnam | 315,850 | 2023 | down 37.3% | falling |
| 20 | Burkina Faso | 314,730 | 2021 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 21 | Kenya | 314,190 | 2022 | down 25.7% | rising |
| 22 | Chad | 267,670 | 2022 | down 34.1% | rising |
| 23 | Malaysia | 259,590 | 2022 | up 23.4% | falling |
| 24 | Senegal | 250,070 | 2023 | up 23.2% | rising |
| 25 | Uganda | 249,160 | 2022 | down 7.5% | rising |
| 26 | Ghana | 243,860 | 2022 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 27 | Afghanistan | 237,170 | 2022 | down 55.5% | falling |
| 28 | Russia | 232,140 | 2005 | down 33.2% | falling |
| 29 | Thailand | 229,510 | 2022 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 30 | Mali | 229,410 | 2024 | down 49.5% | rising |
| 31 | Mozambique | 210,790 | 2022 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 32 | South Africa | 203,910 | 2017 | down 29.4% | falling |
| 33 | Nepal | 196,430 | 2022 | down 42.0% | falling |
| 34 | Benin | 177,280 | 2021 | up 117.1% | falling |
| 35 | Cambodia | 175,170 | 2021 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 36 | Cameroon | 173,910 | 2018 | down 24.3% | rising |
| 37 | Burundi | 170,550 | 2024 | up 7.8% | rising |
| 38 | Iraq | 169,940 | 2018 | down 34.1% | rising |
| 39 | Sri Lanka | 150,800 | 2024 | down 60.9% | falling |
| 40 | Guinea | 138,650 | 2022 | down 24.6% | flat |
| 41 | Algeria | 136,050 | 2019 | up 4.8% | falling |
| 42 | Zambia | 122,630 | 2018 | down 5.7% | rising |
| 43 | Venezuela | 119,680 | 2009 | up 5.7% | rising |
| 44 | Zimbabwe | 118,990 | 2024 | up 56.4% | rising |
| 45 | Turkey | 117,720 | 2018 | up 87.7% | volatile |
| 46 | Saudi Arabia | 107,560 | 2020 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 47 | Mauritania | 106,800 | 2022 | up 44.4% | rising |
| 48 | Mexico | 103,750 | 2022 | down 42.8% | volatile |
| 49 | Uzbekistan | 94,880 | 2021 | down 15.5% | volatile |
| 50 | Tajikistan | 85,350 | 2023 | down 24.2% | falling |
| 51 | Laos | 85,140 | 2023 | up 85.9% | falling |
| 52 | Morocco | 78,560 | 2019 | up 1.7% | volatile |
| 53 | Malawi | 76,510 | 2020 | down 29.5% | falling |
| 54 | Sierra Leone | 71,940 | 2021 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 55 | Togo | 70,720 | 2017 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 56 | Haiti | 61,780 | 2023 | down 21.4% | falling |
| 57 | Kazakhstan | 60,400 | 2015 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 58 | Colombia | 56,070 | 2016 | down 16.1% | volatile |
| 59 | Central African Republic | 48,600 | 2022 | down 21.4% | falling |
| 60 | North Korea | 41,930 | 2017 | down 51.6% | volatile |
| 61 | Romania | 38,900 | 2002 | down 29.9% | falling |
| 62 | Oman | 38,760 | 2017 | up 95.1% | rising |
| 63 | Jordan | 26,760 | 2023 | up 13.5% | falling |
| 64 | Liberia | 25,380 | 2019 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 65 | Bolivia | 24,870 | 2016 | up 47.2% | falling |
| 66 | Kyrgyzstan | 23,630 | 2023 | up 21.6% | flat |
| 67 | Azerbaijan | 23,620 | 2023 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 68 | Guinea-Bissau | 22,630 | 2019 | up 88.4% | falling |
| 69 | Dominican Republic | 22,620 | 2019 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 70 | Tunisia | 22,460 | 2018 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 71 | Honduras | 21,000 | 2019 | up 38.6% | falling |
| 72 | Rwanda | 20,150 | 2020 | down 58.2% | volatile |
| 73 | Gambia | 19,160 | 2020 | down 39.0% | flat |
| 74 | United States | 18,790 | 2022 | down 69.3% | volatile |
| 75 | Peru | 16,150 | 2023 | up 42.9% | volatile |
| 76 | Guatemala | 15,610 | 2021 | down 19.1% | volatile |
| 77 | United Kingdom | 15,530 | 2019 | down 19.4% | volatile |
| 78 | Nicaragua | 14,860 | 2012 | down 4.3% | volatile |
| 79 | El Salvador | 14,670 | 2021 | up 54.6% | falling |
| 80 | Djibouti | 13,860 | 2023 | down 13.8% | rising |
| 81 | East Timor | 13,720 | 2020 | down 54.5% | falling |
| 82 | Ecuador | 9,630 | 2024 | down 62.2% | falling |
| 83 | Mongolia | 9,530 | 2023 | up 182.0% | volatile |
| 84 | Palestine | 9,430 | 2020 | down 54.2% | falling |
| 85 | Armenia | 9,340 | 2016 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 86 | Kuwait | 9,310 | 2023 | up 11.1% | rising |
| 87 | Paraguay | 6,620 | 2016 | down 4.7% | rising |
| 88 | Comoros | 5,780 | 2022 | down 49.6% | flat |
| 89 | Jamaica | 5,720 | 2018 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 90 | Guyana | 5,400 | 2019 | up 26.2% | falling |
| 91 | Belarus | 5,190 | 2023 | — | falling |
| 92 | Lesotho | 4,210 | 2024 | down 45.9% | volatile |
| 93 | Finland | 3,790 | 2023 | up 4.1% | flat |
| 94 | Chile | 3,630 | 2014 | down 40.3% | falling |
| 95 | South Korea | 3,500 | 2020 | down 69.3% | falling |
| 96 | Maldives | 3,290 | 2017 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 97 | Uruguay | 3,170 | 2018 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 98 | Eswatini | 2,560 | 2021 | up 109.8% | falling |
| 99 | Bhutan | 2,460 | 2023 | down 35.3% | falling |
About this data
Estimated number of children younger than five who are 'wasted'. Wasting is when a child’s weight is significantly lower than the average for their height, for example because of acute food shortage or disease.