Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 1.39 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
1.39 million
World rank
7th
of 99 countries
All-time high
1.54 million
in 2001
All-time low
922,140
in 1995
Years of data
7
1995–2023

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1995–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M1995200920231995: 922.1k2001: 1.5M2007: 1.2M2010: 1.1M2013: 1.1M2017: 1.0M2023: 1.4M

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 1.39 million.

That represents a change of up 21.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 1.54 million in 2001 and was at its lowest, 922,140, in 1995.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 99 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 922,140 922,140 922,140 1
2000s 1.36 million 1.19 million 1.54 million 2
2010s 1.08 million 1.03 million 1.14 million 3
2020s 1.39 million 1.39 million 1.39 million 1

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 4 Indonesia 1.88 million compare
  2. 5 Bangladesh 1.74 million compare
  3. 6 China 1.72 million compare
  4. 8 Ethiopia 1.17 million compare
  5. 9 Yemen 1.03 million compare
  6. 10 Philippines 574,510 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Democratic Republic of Congo was 1.39 million in 2023, 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 1.54 million in 2001.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 922,140 in 1995.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 99 countries with data for 2023.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.