Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 237,170 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan, 1997–2022
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 237,170 for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 55.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan peaked at 671,630 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 237,170, in 2022.
That places Afghanistan 27th out of 99 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 671,630 | — |
| 2004 | 429,810 | -36.0% |
| 2013 | 532,540 | +23.9% |
| 2018 | 317,150 | -40.4% |
| 2022 | 237,170 | -25.2% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 237,170 is above the median for low income countries, which is 229,410, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 237,170 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 121,805, 1.9× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 671,630 | 671,630 | 671,630 | 1 |
| 2000s | 429,810 | 429,810 | 429,810 | 1 |
| 2010s | 424,845 | 317,150 | 532,540 | 2 |
| 2020s | 237,170 | 237,170 | 237,170 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More environment data for Afghanistan
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -19.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -17.12 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.547 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.96 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (1990)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.7636 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan?
- Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan was 237,170 in 2022, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 671,630 in 1997.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 237,170 in 2022.
- How does Afghanistan rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
- Afghanistan ranks 27th out of 99 countries with data for 2022.
- Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.