Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 14,860 in 2012. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2012)
14,860
World rank
78th
of 99 countries
All-time high
23,640
in 1998
All-time low
2,620
in 2004
Years of data
7
1993–2012

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua, 1993–2012

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k1993200220121993: 17.8k1998: 23.6k2001: 15.5k2004: 2.6k2005: 5.9k2007: 9.9k2012: 14.9k

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua is 14,860, measured in 2012.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua peaked at 23,640 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2,620, in 2004.

Nicaragua ranks 78th of 99 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 20,715 17,790 23,640 2
2000s 8,472 2,620 15,530 4
2010s 14,860 14,860 14,860 1

Countries ranked near Nicaragua

  1. 75 Peru 16,150 compare
  2. 76 Guatemala 15,610 compare
  3. 77 United Kingdom 15,530 compare
  4. 79 El Salvador 14,670 compare
  5. 81 East Timor 13,720 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Nicaragua was 14,860 in 2012, 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 Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 23,640 in 1998.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 2,620 in 2004.
How does Nicaragua rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Nicaragua ranks 78th out of 99 countries with data for 2012.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Nicaragua?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nicaragua 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.