Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 107,560 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
107,560
Change on year
down 15.0%
World rank
46th
of 99 countries
All-time high
261,120
in 2004
All-time low
58,490
in 1994
Years of data
8
1994–2020

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Saudi Arabia, 1994–2020

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k1994200720201994: 58.5k2004: 261.1k2015: 120.3k2016: 96.4k2017: 131.3k2018: 110.9k2019: 126.6k2020: 107.6k

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 Saudi Arabia is 107,560, measured in 2020.

The figure is down 15.0% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Saudi Arabia peaked at 261,120 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 58,490, in 1994.

Saudi Arabia ranks 46th of 99 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 58,490 58,490 58,490 1
2000s 261,120 261,120 261,120 1
2010s 117,084 96,360 131,260 5
2020s 107,560 107,560 107,560 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 43 Venezuela 119,680 compare
  2. 44 Zimbabwe 118,990 compare
  3. 45 Turkey 117,720 compare
  4. 47 Mauritania 106,800 compare
  5. 48 Mexico 103,750 compare
  6. 49 Uzbekistan 94,880 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Saudi Arabia?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Saudi Arabia was 107,560 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 261,120 in 2004.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 58,490 in 1994.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Saudi Arabia ranks 46th out of 99 countries with data for 2020.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.

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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.