Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Mexico
Mexico: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 103,750 in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Mexico, 1988–2022
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Mexico stood at 103,750. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
That represents a change of down 41.5% on the previous year and down 42.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Mexico peaked at 983,020 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 103,750, in 2022.
Mexico ranks 48th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Mexico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 677,600 | — |
| 1989 | 681,520 | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 983,020 | +44.2% |
| 1998 | 229,750 | -76.6% |
| 2002 | 286,210 | +24.6% |
| 2005 | 561,540 | +96.2% |
| 2006 | 228,120 | -59.4% |
| 2012 | 181,240 | -20.6% |
| 2015 | 112,770 | -37.8% |
| 2016 | 222,980 | +97.7% |
| 2019 | 148,870 | -33.2% |
| 2020 | 168,270 | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 177,410 | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 103,750 | -41.5% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 103,750 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 58,235, 1.8× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 103,750 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 15,610, 6.6× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 679,560 | 677,600 | 681,520 | 2 |
| 1990s | 606,385 | 229,750 | 983,020 | 2 |
| 2000s | 358,623 | 228,120 | 561,540 | 3 |
| 2010s | 166,465 | 112,770 | 222,980 | 4 |
| 2020s | 149,810 | 103,750 | 177,410 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 45 Turkey 117,720 compare
- 46 Saudi Arabia 107,560 compare
- 47 Mauritania 106,800 compare
- 49 Uzbekistan 94,880 compare
- 50 Tajikistan 85,350 compare
- 51 Laos 85,140 compare
More environment data for Mexico
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 0.6859 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.6189 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.234 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.62 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.1645 % 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 -0.5194 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Mexico?
- Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Mexico was 103,750 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 983,020 in 1996.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 103,750 in 2022.
- How does Mexico rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
- Mexico ranks 48th out of 99 countries with data for 2022.
- Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Mexico 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 — 14 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.