Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value in Nigeria

Nigeria: Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value was 3.9 million No in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
3.9 million No
Change on year
up 85.7%
World rank
2nd
of 42 countries
All-time high
3.9 million No
in 2021
All-time low
2.1 million No
in 2020
Years of data
8
2003–2021

Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value in Nigeria, 2003–2021

012342003201220212003: 2.7 million No2011: 3.1 million No2014: 2.6 million No2015: 2.4 million No2016: 3.6 million No2018: 2.3 million No2020: 2.1 million No2021: 3.9 million No

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.

Analysis

In 2021, number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value in Nigeria stood at 3.9 million No. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of up 85.7% on the previous year and up 25.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value in Nigeria peaked at 3.9 million No in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.1 million No, in 2020.

That places Nigeria 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value in Nigeria, 2003 to 2021.
Year million No Change
2003 2.7 million No
2011 3.1 million No +14.8%
2014 2.6 million No -16.1%
2015 2.4 million No -7.7%
2016 3.6 million No +50.0%
2018 2.3 million No -36.1%
2020 2.1 million No -8.7%
2021 3.9 million No +85.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.7 million No 2.7 million No 2.7 million No 1
2010s 2.8 million No 2.3 million No 3.6 million No 5
2020s 3 million No 2.1 million No 3.9 million No 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 22.2 million No compare
  2. 3 Indonesia 1.9 million No compare
  3. 4 Bangladesh 1.7 million No compare
  4. 4 China 1.7 million No compare
  5. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1.4 million No compare
  6. 5 United Republic of Tanzania 0.3 million No compare
  7. 5 Viet Nam 0.3 million No compare

See the full ranking of 81 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value in Nigeria?
Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value in Nigeria was 3.9 million No in 2021, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 3.9 million No in 2021.
What is the lowest number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1 million No in 2020.
How does Nigeria rank for number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value?
Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — value rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-children-under-5-years-affected-by-wasting-million-value/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of children under 5 years affected by wasting (million) — Value
Unit
million No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
81 places, 1,179 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.