Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 11.6 % in 2021. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria, 2003–2021
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 11.6 % for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in 2021. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 78.5% on the previous year and up 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria peaked at 11.6 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.5 %, in 2020.
That places Nigeria 4th out of 69 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 11.2 % | — |
| 2011 | 10.2 % | -8.9% |
| 2014 | 7.9 % | -22.5% |
| 2015 | 7.3 % | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 10.8 % | +47.9% |
| 2018 | 6.8 % | -37.0% |
| 2020 | 6.5 % | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 11.6 % | +78.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.2 % | 11.2 % | 11.2 % | 1 |
| 2010s | 8.6 % | 6.8 % | 10.8 % | 5 |
| 2020s | 9.05 % | 6.5 % | 11.6 % | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 India 18.7 % compare
- 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 10.7 % compare
- 2 Yemen 16.8 % compare
- 3 Mauritania 13.6 % compare
- 3 Timor-Leste 8.3 % compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.2 % compare
- 5 Côte d'Ivoire 8.1 % compare
- 5 Malaysia 11 % compare
- 6 Niger 10.9 % compare
- 7 Bangladesh 10.7 % compare
- 7 Viet Nam 4.4 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria?
- Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Nigeria was 11.6 % in 2021, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 11.6 % in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5 % in 2020.
- How does Nigeria rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
- Nigeria ranks 4th out of 69 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.