Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Senegal

Senegal: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 250,070 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
250,070
World rank
24th
of 99 countries
All-time high
250,070
in 2023
All-time low
71,120
in 1986
Years of data
16
1986–2023

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Senegal, 1986–2023

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k1986200420231986: 71.1k1991: 126.2k1993: 136.4k1996: 122.0k2000: 165.9k2005: 161.9k2011: 208.8k2012: 190.8k2013: 203.0k2014: 184.4k2015: 208.5k2016: 168.0k2017: 214.2k2018: 186.3k2019: 194.1k2023: 250.1k

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

Analysis

In 2023, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Senegal stood at 250,070. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Senegal peaked at 250,070 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 71,120, in 1986.

Senegal ranks 24th of 99 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 71,120 71,120 71,120 1
1990s 128,207 122,030 136,360 3
2000s 163,860 161,860 165,860 2
2010s 195,333 168,000 214,180 9
2020s 250,070 250,070 250,070 1

Countries ranked near Senegal

  1. 21 Kenya 314,190 compare
  2. 22 Chad 267,670 compare
  3. 23 Malaysia 259,590 compare
  4. 25 Uganda 249,160 compare
  5. 26 Ghana 243,860 compare
  6. 27 Afghanistan 237,170 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Senegal?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Senegal was 250,070 in 2023, 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 Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 250,070 in 2023.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 71,120 in 1986.
How does Senegal rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Senegal ranks 24th out of 99 countries with data for 2023.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Senegal?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Senegal 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 — 16 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.