Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 237,170 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
237,170
World rank
27th
of 99 countries
All-time high
671,630
in 1997
All-time low
237,170
in 2022
Years of data
5
1997–2022

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Afghanistan, 1997–2022

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1997200920221997: 671.6k2004: 429.8k2013: 532.5k2018: 317.1k2022: 237.2k

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 24 Senegal 250,070 compare
  2. 25 Uganda 249,160 compare
  3. 26 Ghana 243,860 compare
  4. 28 Russia 232,140 compare
  5. 29 Thailand 229,510 compare
  6. 30 Mali 229,410 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

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.

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
99 places, 962 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed

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.