Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 13.6 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
13.6 %
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
1st
of 29 groups
All-time high
16.7 %
in 2000
All-time low
13.6 %
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0510152000201220242000: 16.7 %2001: 16.6 %2002: 16.4 %2003: 16.3 %2004: 16.2 %2005: 16 %2006: 15.9 %2007: 15.7 %2008: 15.6 %2009: 15.5 %2010: 15.3 %2011: 15.2 %2012: 15.1 %2013: 14.9 %2014: 14.8 %2015: 14.7 %2016: 14.6 %2017: 14.4 %2018: 14.3 %2019: 14.2 %2020: 14.1 %2021: 13.9 %2022: 13.8 %2023: 13.7 %2024: 13.6 %

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

Analysis

Southern Asia recorded 13.6 % for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Southern Asia peaked at 16.7 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.6 %, in 2024.

Southern Asia ranks 1st of 29 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

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 Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value in Southern Asia, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 16.7 %
2001 16.6 % -0.6%
2002 16.4 % -1.2%
2003 16.3 % -0.6%
2004 16.2 % -0.6%
2005 16 % -1.2%
2006 15.9 % -0.6%
2007 15.7 % -1.3%
2008 15.6 % -0.6%
2009 15.5 % -0.6%
2010 15.3 % -1.3%
2011 15.2 % -0.7%
2012 15.1 % -0.7%
2013 14.9 % -1.3%
2014 14.8 % -0.7%
2015 14.7 % -0.7%
2016 14.6 % -0.7%
2017 14.4 % -1.4%
2018 14.3 % -0.7%
2019 14.2 % -0.7%
2020 14.1 % -0.7%
2021 13.9 % -1.4%
2022 13.8 % -0.7%
2023 13.7 % -0.7%
2024 13.6 % -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.09 % 15.5 % 16.7 % 10
2010s 14.75 % 14.2 % 15.3 % 10
2020s 13.82 % 13.6 % 14.1 % 5

Countries ranked near Southern Asia

  1. 1 India 18.7 % compare
  2. 1 Lao People's Democratic Republic 10.7 % compare
  3. 2 Yemen 16.8 % compare
  4. 3 Mauritania 13.6 % compare
  5. 3 Timor-Leste 8.3 % compare
  6. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.2 % compare
  7. 4 Nigeria 11.6 % compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Southern Asia?
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Southern Asia was 13.6 % 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 Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 16.7 % in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 13.6 % in 2024.
How does Southern Asia rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
Southern Asia ranks 1st out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Southern Asia 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 Southern Asia. 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/southern-asia/

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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.