Malnutrition: Share of children who are wasted in El Salvador
El Salvador: Malnutrition: Share of children who are wasted was 2.9% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Malnutrition: Share of children who are wasted in El Salvador, 1988–2021
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for malnutrition: share of children who are wasted in El Salvador is 2.9%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of up 81.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are wasted in El Salvador peaked at 2.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2003.
That places El Salvador 68th out of 99 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are wasted in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 2.2% | — |
| 1993 | 1.5% | -31.8% |
| 1998 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.3% | -13.3% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | +23.1% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | +31.2% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | +38.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More reference data data for El Salvador
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2714 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6267 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3176 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4948 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are wasted in El Salvador?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are wasted in El Salvador was 2.9% in 2021, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: share of children who are wasted recorded in El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are wasted recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2003.
- How does El Salvador rank for malnutrition: share of children who are wasted?
- El Salvador ranks 68th out of 99 countries with data for 2021.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are wasted rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this El Salvador data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Share of children who are wasted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of children younger than five years old that are defined as "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.