Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Mexico

Mexico: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 103,750 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
103,750
Change on year
down 41.5%
World rank
48th
of 99 countries
All-time high
983,020
in 1996
All-time low
103,750
in 2022
Years of data
14
1988–2022

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Mexico, 1988–2022

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k1.0M1988200520221988: 677.6k1989: 681.5k1996: 983.0k1998: 229.8k2002: 286.2k2005: 561.5k2006: 228.1k2012: 181.2k2015: 112.8k2016: 223.0k2019: 148.9k2020: 168.3k2021: 177.4k2022: 103.8k

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 45 Turkey 117,720 compare
  2. 46 Saudi Arabia 107,560 compare
  3. 47 Mauritania 106,800 compare
  4. 49 Uzbekistan 94,880 compare
  5. 50 Tajikistan 85,350 compare
  6. 51 Laos 85,140 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

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

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.