Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 4.8 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.8 %
Change on year
down 2.0%
Rank
15th
of 29 groups
All-time high
7.8 %
in 2000
All-time low
4.8 %
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa, 2000–2024

024682000201220242000: 7.8 %2001: 7.6 %2002: 7.5 %2003: 7.3 %2004: 7.2 %2005: 7 %2006: 6.9 %2007: 6.7 %2008: 6.6 %2009: 6.5 %2010: 6.4 %2011: 6.2 %2012: 6.1 %2013: 6 %2014: 5.9 %2015: 5.7 %2016: 5.6 %2017: 5.5 %2018: 5.4 %2019: 5.3 %2020: 5.2 %2021: 5.1 %2022: 5 %2023: 4.9 %2024: 4.8 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa stood at 4.8 %. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 18.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa peaked at 7.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.8 %, in 2024.

That places Eastern Africa 15th out of 29 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value in Eastern Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 7.8 %
2001 7.6 % -2.6%
2002 7.5 % -1.3%
2003 7.3 % -2.7%
2004 7.2 % -1.4%
2005 7 % -2.8%
2006 6.9 % -1.4%
2007 6.7 % -2.9%
2008 6.6 % -1.5%
2009 6.5 % -1.5%
2010 6.4 % -1.5%
2011 6.2 % -3.1%
2012 6.1 % -1.6%
2013 6 % -1.6%
2014 5.9 % -1.7%
2015 5.7 % -3.4%
2016 5.6 % -1.8%
2017 5.5 % -1.8%
2018 5.4 % -1.8%
2019 5.3 % -1.9%
2020 5.2 % -1.9%
2021 5.1 % -1.9%
2022 5 % -2.0%
2023 4.9 % -2.0%
2024 4.8 % -2.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.11 % 6.5 % 7.8 % 10
2010s 5.81 % 5.3 % 6.4 % 10
2020s 5 % 4.8 % 5.2 % 5

Countries ranked near Eastern Africa

  1. 12 Indonesia 8.4 % compare
  2. 13 Benin 8.3 % compare
  3. 14 Burundi 7.8 % compare
  4. 14 Chad 7.8 % compare
  5. 14 Guinea-Bissau 7.8 % compare
  6. 17 Myanmar 7.4 % compare
  7. 18 Madagascar 7.2 % compare
  8. 18 Thailand 7.2 % compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Eastern Africa

All data for Eastern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa?
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa was 4.8 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Eastern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 7.8 % in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Eastern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 4.8 % in 2024.
How does Eastern Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
Eastern Africa ranks 15th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Eastern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eastern Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Eastern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-affected-by-wasting-percent-value/eastern-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
109 places, 1,441 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.