Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi
Malawi: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 2.6 % in 2020. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi, 2000–2020
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi is 2.6 %, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 31.6% on the previous year and down 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi peaked at 6.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.5 %, in 2018.
Malawi ranks 49th of 69 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.8 % | — |
| 2002 | 6.3 % | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 6.3 % | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4.2 % | -33.3% |
| 2009 | 1.9 % | -54.8% |
| 2010 | 4 % | +110.5% |
| 2014 | 3.8 % | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 2.8 % | -26.3% |
| 2016 | 4.1 % | +46.4% |
| 2017 | 2.6 % | -36.6% |
| 2018 | 1.5 % | -42.3% |
| 2019 | 3.8 % | +153.3% |
| 2020 | 2.6 % | -31.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.1 % | 1.9 % | 6.8 % | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.23 % | 1.5 % | 4.1 % | 7 |
| 2020s | 2.6 % | 2.6 % | 2.6 % | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More agriculture & rural data for Malawi
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 24.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3003 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 201.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.8241 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 30.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 30.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi?
- Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Malawi was 2.6 % in 2020, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 6.8 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5 % in 2018.
- How does Malawi rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
- Malawi ranks 49th out of 69 countries with data for 2020.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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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About this data
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.