Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Yemen

Yemen: Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted was 1.03 million in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
1.03 million
Change on year
up 72.6%
World rank
9th
of 99 countries
All-time high
1.03 million
in 2022
All-time low
426,870
in 1991
Years of data
9
1991–2022

Malnutrition: Number of children who are wasted in Yemen, 1991–2022

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1991200620221991: 426.9k1996: 594.0k1997: 567.7k2003: 570.8k2005: 537.0k2011: 589.8k2013: 757.2k2021: 597.0k2022: 1.0M

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 Yemen is 1.03 million, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 72.6% on the previous year and up 74.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Yemen peaked at 1.03 million in 2022 and was at its lowest, 426,870, in 1991.

Yemen ranks 9th of 99 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 529,513 426,870 593,990 3
2000s 553,915 537,020 570,810 2
2010s 673,485 589,810 757,160 2
2020s 813,620 596,980 1.03 million 2

Countries ranked near Yemen

  1. 6 China 1.72 million compare
  2. 7 Democratic Republic of Congo 1.39 million compare
  3. 8 Ethiopia 1.17 million compare
  4. 10 Philippines 574,510 compare
  5. 11 Niger 497,560 compare
  6. 12 Egypt 405,890 compare

See the full ranking of 99 places →

More environment data for Yemen

All data for Yemen →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Yemen?
Malnutrition: number of children who are wasted in Yemen was 1.03 million 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 Yemen?
The highest recorded value was 1.03 million in 2022.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are wasted recorded in Yemen?
The lowest recorded value was 426,870 in 1991.
How does Yemen rank for malnutrition: number of children who are wasted?
Yemen ranks 9th out of 99 countries with data for 2022.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are wasted rising or falling in Yemen?
Over the last ten years it is up 74.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Yemen 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 — 9 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.