Proportion of children moderately or severely wasted (%) by country
Countries reporting
85
Highest
18.7%
India
Lowest
0.1%
United States
Median
4.4%
Years covered
25
2000–2024
Data points
1,386
What the numbers show
Proportion of children moderately or severely wasted (%) is currently reported for 85 countries. The highest value is 18.7% in India; the lowest is 0.1% in United States.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.4%, and the mean is 5.2%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 187.
Over the past decade 26 countries rose and 57 fell. The largest increase was in Mongolia (up 170.0%), and the largest decrease in United States (down 66.7%).
Proportion of children moderately or severely wasted: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 18.7% | 2020 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 2 | Yemen | 16.8% | 2022 | up 26.3% | falling |
| 3 | Mauritania | 13.6% | 2022 | up 16.2% | falling |
| 4 | Nigeria | 11.6% | 2021 | up 13.7% | falling |
| 5 | Malaysia | 11.0% | 2022 | up 35.8% | falling |
| 6 | Niger | 10.9% | 2022 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 10.7% | 2022 | down 2.7% | falling |
| 7 | Laos | 10.7% | 2023 | up 81.4% | falling |
| 7 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 10.7% | 2023 | up 81.4% | falling |
| 10 | Senegal | 10.2% | 2023 | up 13.3% | falling |
| 11 | Cambodia | 9.6% | 2021 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 12 | Burkina Faso | 9.3% | 2021 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 12 | Sri Lanka | 9.3% | 2024 | down 56.3% | falling |
| 14 | Indonesia | 8.4% | 2023 | down 37.8% | falling |
| 15 | Benin | 8.3% | 2021 | up 62.7% | falling |
| 15 | East Timor | 8.3% | 2020 | down 56.1% | falling |
| 15 | Timor-Leste | 8.3% | 2020 | down 56.1% | falling |
| 18 | Cote d'Ivoire | 8.1% | 2021 | up 52.8% | falling |
| 18 | Côte d'Ivoire | 8.1% | 2021 | up 52.8% | falling |
| 20 | Burundi | 7.8% | 2024 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 20 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.8% | 2019 | up 62.5% | falling |
| 20 | Chad | 7.8% | 2022 | down 52.1% | falling |
| 23 | Myanmar | 7.4% | 2018 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 24 | Madagascar | 7.2% | 2021 | up 26.3% | falling |
| 24 | Thailand | 7.2% | 2022 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 24 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 7.2% | 2023 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 27 | Nepal | 7.0% | 2022 | down 37.5% | falling |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 6.8% | 2019 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 29 | Guyana | 6.5% | 2019 | up 18.2% | falling |
| 30 | Guinea | 6.4% | 2022 | down 36.0% | falling |
| 30 | Tajikistan | 6.4% | 2023 | down 35.4% | volatile |
| 32 | Sierra Leone | 6.3% | 2021 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 33 | Ghana | 5.8% | 2022 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 34 | Togo | 5.7% | 2017 | down 5.0% | flat |
| 35 | Mali | 5.4% | 2024 | down 58.8% | falling |
| 35 | Philippines | 5.4% | 2021 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 37 | Central African Republic | 5.2% | 2022 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 38 | Gambia | 5.1% | 2020 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 38 | Zimbabwe | 5.1% | 2024 | up 59.4% | falling |
| 40 | Haiti | 5.0% | 2023 | down 20.6% | falling |
| 41 | Kenya | 4.5% | 2022 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 42 | Vietnam | 4.4% | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 42 | Viet Nam | 4.4% | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 44 | Cameroon | 4.3% | 2018 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 45 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 4.1% | 2009 | up 5.1% | flat |
| 46 | Saudi Arabia | 3.9% | 2020 | down 9.3% | volatile |
| 47 | Mozambique | 3.8% | 2022 | down 37.7% | falling |
| 48 | Azerbaijan | 3.5% | 2023 | up 9.4% | falling |
| 48 | Kuwait | 3.5% | 2023 | up 25.0% | flat |
| 50 | Liberia | 3.4% | 2019 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 51 | Egypt | 3.3% | 2021 | down 58.2% | falling |
| 51 | Russia | 3.3% | 2005 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 51 | Russian Federation | 3.3% | 2005 | down 32.7% | falling |
| 54 | Jamaica | 3.2% | 2018 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 54 | Uganda | 3.2% | 2022 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 56 | United Republic of Tanzania | 3.1% | 2022 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 57 | Iraq | 3.0% | 2018 | down 48.3% | falling |
| 57 | Kyrgyzstan | 3.0% | 2023 | up 7.1% | falling |
| 59 | Caribbean | 2.9% | 2024 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 60 | Algeria | 2.7% | 2019 | down 34.1% | volatile |
| 60 | Mongolia | 2.7% | 2023 | up 170.0% | volatile |
| 62 | Malawi | 2.6% | 2020 | down 35.0% | falling |
| 63 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 2.5% | 2017 | down 51.9% | falling |
| 64 | Jordan | 2.3% | 2023 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 65 | Dominican Republic | 2.2% | 2019 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 66 | China | 1.9% | 2017 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 66 | Honduras | 1.9% | 2019 | up 35.7% | rising |
| 68 | Eswatini | 1.8% | 2021 | up 125.0% | falling |
| 69 | Finland | 1.6% | 2023 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 69 | Lesotho | 1.6% | 2024 | down 42.9% | falling |
| 71 | Uruguay | 1.4% | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 72 | Belarus | 1.3% | 2023 | — | falling |
| 72 | State of Palestine | 1.3% | 2020 | down 60.6% | falling |
| 74 | Rwanda | 1.1% | 2020 | down 62.1% | volatile |
| 75 | Mexico | 1.0% | 2022 | down 37.5% | volatile |
| 76 | Guatemala | 0.8% | 2021 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 77 | Ecuador | 0.7% | 2024 | down 56.2% | falling |
| 78 | Peru | 0.6% | 2023 | up 50.0% | falling |
| 79 | Australia and New Zealand | 0.5% | 2024 | up 66.7% | rising |
| 80 | United Kingdom | 0.4% | 2019 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 80 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 0.4% | 2019 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 82 | Chile | 0.3% | 2014 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 83 | South Korea | 0.2% | 2020 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 83 | Republic of Korea | 0.2% | 2020 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 85 | United States | 0.1% | 2022 | down 66.7% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Southern Asia 13.6%
- Central and Southern Asia 13.0%
- Asia 9.1%
- Oceania (exc. Australia and New Zealand) 8.4%
- South-Eastern Asia 7.0%
- Least Developed Countries (LDCs) 6.7%
- World 6.6%
- Western Africa 6.5%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 5.5%
- Middle Africa 5.5%
- Africa 5.4%
- Northern Africa 5.2%
- Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) 5.2%
- Eastern Africa 4.8%
- Northern Africa and Western Asia 4.4%
- Small island developing States (SIDS) 4.0%
- Eastern and South-Eastern Asia 4.0%
- Western Asia 3.5%
- Southern Africa 3.0%
- Central Asia 2.1%
- Eastern Asia 1.4%
- South America 1.3%
- Latin America and the Caribbean 1.3%
- Central America 0.9%
- Northern America 0.2%
- United States of America 0.1%