Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Rwanda

Rwanda: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 20,150 in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
20,150
Change on year
down 46.4%
World rank
72nd
of 99 countries
All-time high
129,590
in 1996
All-time low
20,150
in 2020
Years of data
10
1992–2020

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Rwanda, 1992–2020

25.0k50.0k75.0k100.0k125.0k1992200620201992: 70.2k1996: 129.6k2000: 119.5k2005: 75.8k2009: 84.2k2010: 48.2k2012: 51.5k2015: 39.2k2018: 37.6k2020: 20.1k

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 Rwanda is 20,150, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 46.4% on the previous year and down 58.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Rwanda peaked at 129,590 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 20,150, in 2020.

Rwanda ranks 72nd 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
1990s 99,895 70,200 129,590 2
2000s 93,193 75,840 119,540 3
2010s 44,118 37,570 51,540 4
2020s 20,150 20,150 20,150 1

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 69 Dominican Republic 22,620 compare
  2. 70 Tunisia 22,460 compare
  3. 71 Honduras 21,000 compare
  4. 73 Gambia 19,160 compare
  5. 74 United States 18,790 compare
  6. 75 Peru 16,150 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Rwanda?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Rwanda was 20,150 in 2020, 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 129,590 in 1996.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 20,150 in 2020.
How does Rwanda rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Rwanda ranks 72nd out of 99 countries with data for 2020.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is down 58.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Rwanda 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 — 10 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.