Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Lesotho

Lesotho: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 4,210 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
4,210
World rank
92nd
of 99 countries
All-time high
64,740
in 1993
All-time low
4,210
in 2024
Years of data
7
1992–2024

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Lesotho, 1992–2024

020.0k40.0k60.0k1992200820241992: 9.4k1993: 64.7k2004: 14.2k2009: 9.8k2014: 7.8k2018: 6.0k2024: 4.2k

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

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 4,210 for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of down 45.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Lesotho peaked at 64,740 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4,210, in 2024.

Lesotho ranks 92nd of 99 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 37,050 9,360 64,740 2
2000s 11,990 9,760 14,220 2
2010s 6,870 5,960 7,780 2
2020s 4,210 4,210 4,210 1

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 89 Jamaica 5,720 compare
  2. 90 Guyana 5,400 compare
  3. 91 Belarus 5,190 compare
  4. 93 Finland 3,790 compare
  5. 94 Chile 3,630 compare
  6. 95 South Korea 3,500 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Lesotho?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Lesotho was 4,210 in 2024, 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 Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 64,740 in 1993.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 4,210 in 2024.
How does Lesotho rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Lesotho ranks 92nd out of 99 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 45.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho 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 — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.