Share of children with a weight too low for their height wasting by country
Countries reporting
97
Highest
18.7
India
Lowest
0.1
United States
Median
4.2
Years covered
41
1984–2024
Data points
962
What the numbers show
Share of children with a weight too low for their height wasting is currently reported for 97 countries. The highest value is 18.7 in India; the lowest is 0.1 in United States.
The median across all reporting countries is 4.2, and the mean is 5.11.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 187.
Over the past decade 30 countries rose and 64 fell. The largest increase was in Mongolia (up 170.0%), and the largest decrease in United States (down 66.7%).
Share of children with a weight too low for their height wasting: 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 | Djibouti | 12.1 | 2023 | down 12.9% | falling |
| 5 | Nigeria | 11.6 | 2021 | up 13.7% | falling |
| 6 | Syria | 11.5 | 2010 | up 134.7% | rising |
| 7 | Malaysia | 11 | 2022 | up 35.8% | falling |
| 8 | Niger | 10.9 | 2022 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 9 | Laos | 10.7 | 2023 | up 81.4% | falling |
| 9 | Bangladesh | 10.7 | 2022 | down 2.7% | falling |
| 11 | Senegal | 10.2 | 2023 | up 13.3% | rising |
| 12 | Cambodia | 9.6 | 2021 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 13 | Oman | 9.3 | 2017 | up 31.0% | falling |
| 13 | Sri Lanka | 9.3 | 2024 | down 56.3% | falling |
| 13 | Burkina Faso | 9.3 | 2021 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 16 | Maldives | 9.1 | 2017 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 17 | Indonesia | 8.4 | 2023 | down 37.8% | falling |
| 18 | East Timor | 8.3 | 2020 | down 56.1% | falling |
| 18 | Benin | 8.3 | 2021 | up 62.7% | falling |
| 20 | Cote d'Ivoire | 8.1 | 2021 | up 52.8% | falling |
| 21 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.8 | 2019 | up 62.5% | falling |
| 21 | Chad | 7.8 | 2022 | down 52.1% | falling |
| 21 | Burundi | 7.8 | 2024 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 24 | Myanmar | 7.4 | 2018 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 25 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 7.2 | 2023 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 25 | Thailand | 7.2 | 2022 | up 7.5% | rising |
| 25 | Madagascar | 7.2 | 2021 | up 26.3% | falling |
| 28 | Pakistan | 7.1 | 2018 | down 52.3% | falling |
| 29 | Nepal | 7 | 2022 | down 37.5% | flat |
| 30 | Ethiopia | 6.8 | 2019 | down 30.6% | falling |
| 31 | Guyana | 6.5 | 2019 | up 18.2% | falling |
| 32 | Guinea | 6.4 | 2022 | down 36.0% | falling |
| 32 | Tajikistan | 6.4 | 2023 | down 35.4% | volatile |
| 34 | Sierra Leone | 6.3 | 2021 | down 16.0% | falling |
| 35 | Ghana | 5.8 | 2022 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 36 | Togo | 5.7 | 2017 | down 5.0% | falling |
| 37 | Philippines | 5.4 | 2021 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 37 | Mali | 5.4 | 2024 | down 58.8% | falling |
| 40 | Zimbabwe | 5.1 | 2024 | up 59.4% | falling |
| 40 | Gambia | 5.1 | 2020 | down 46.3% | falling |
| 40 | Bhutan | 5.1 | 2023 | down 13.6% | rising |
| 40 | Comoros | 5.1 | 2022 | down 54.5% | falling |
| 44 | Haiti | 5 | 2023 | down 20.6% | falling |
| 45 | Kenya | 4.5 | 2022 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 46 | Armenia | 4.4 | 2016 | down 18.5% | rising |
| 46 | Vietnam | 4.4 | 2023 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 48 | Cameroon | 4.3 | 2018 | down 43.4% | falling |
| 48 | Iran | 4.3 | 2017 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 50 | Zambia | 4.2 | 2018 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 51 | Venezuela | 4.1 | 2009 | up 2.5% | rising |
| 52 | Saudi Arabia | 3.9 | 2020 | down 9.3% | volatile |
| 53 | Mozambique | 3.8 | 2022 | down 37.7% | falling |
| 54 | Afghanistan | 3.6 | 2022 | down 62.1% | volatile |
| 56 | Kuwait | 3.5 | 2023 | up 25.0% | rising |
| 56 | Azerbaijan | 3.5 | 2023 | up 9.4% | falling |
| 56 | Romania | 3.5 | 2002 | up 6.1% | rising |
| 59 | Liberia | 3.4 | 2019 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 60 | Russia | 3.3 | 2005 | down 25.0% | falling |
| 60 | Egypt | 3.3 | 2021 | down 58.2% | rising |
| 62 | Uganda | 3.2 | 2022 | down 23.8% | falling |
| 62 | Jamaica | 3.2 | 2018 | up 28.0% | falling |
| 64 | Tanzania | 3.1 | 2022 | down 50.0% | falling |
| 64 | Kazakhstan | 3.1 | 2015 | down 36.7% | falling |
| 66 | Iraq | 3 | 2018 | down 48.3% | falling |
| 66 | Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 2023 | up 7.1% | falling |
| 68 | El Salvador | 2.9 | 2021 | up 81.2% | rising |
| 69 | Mongolia | 2.7 | 2023 | up 170.0% | volatile |
| 69 | Algeria | 2.7 | 2019 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 71 | Malawi | 2.6 | 2020 | down 35.0% | falling |
| 72 | North Korea | 2.5 | 2017 | down 51.9% | volatile |
| 73 | Morocco | 2.4 | 2019 | up 4.3% | volatile |
| 73 | Uzbekistan | 2.4 | 2021 | down 45.5% | volatile |
| 75 | Jordan | 2.3 | 2023 | down 4.2% | falling |
| 76 | Nicaragua | 2.2 | 2012 | down 4.3% | volatile |
| 76 | Dominican Republic | 2.2 | 2019 | down 4.3% | flat |
| 78 | Tunisia | 2.1 | 2018 | down 38.2% | falling |
| 79 | Bolivia | 2 | 2016 | up 42.9% | volatile |
| 80 | Honduras | 1.9 | 2019 | up 35.7% | falling |
| 80 | China | 1.9 | 2017 | down 26.9% | falling |
| 82 | Eswatini | 1.8 | 2021 | up 125.0% | falling |
| 83 | Turkey | 1.7 | 2018 | up 70.0% | falling |
| 84 | Finland | 1.6 | 2023 | up 33.3% | rising |
| 84 | Lesotho | 1.6 | 2024 | down 42.9% | volatile |
| 84 | Colombia | 1.6 | 2016 | unchanged | volatile |
| 87 | Uruguay | 1.4 | 2018 | unchanged | falling |
| 88 | Palestine | 1.3 | 2020 | down 60.6% | falling |
| 88 | Belarus | 1.3 | 2023 | — | falling |
| 90 | Rwanda | 1.1 | 2020 | down 62.1% | volatile |
| 91 | Mexico | 1 | 2022 | down 37.5% | volatile |
| 91 | Paraguay | 1 | 2016 | down 9.1% | rising |
| 93 | Guatemala | 0.8 | 2021 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 94 | Ecuador | 0.7 | 2024 | down 56.2% | falling |
| 95 | Peru | 0.6 | 2023 | up 50.0% | falling |
| 96 | United Kingdom | 0.4 | 2019 | down 20.0% | volatile |
| 97 | Chile | 0.3 | 2014 | down 40.0% | falling |
| 98 | South Korea | 0.2 | 2020 | down 60.0% | falling |
| 99 | 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.
- Central African Republic 5.2
- South Africa 3.6