Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 5.5 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024
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 Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.5 %, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 8.7 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.5 %, in 2024.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 11th 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.7 % | — |
| 2001 | 8.5 % | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 8.4 % | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 8.2 % | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 8.1 % | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 7.9 % | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 7.8 % | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 7.6 % | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 7.5 % | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 7.3 % | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 7.2 % | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 7.1 % | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 6.9 % | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 6.8 % | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 6.7 % | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 6.6 % | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 6.4 % | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 6.3 % | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 6.2 % | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 6.1 % | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 5.9 % | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 5.8 % | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 5.7 % | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 5.6 % | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 5.5 % | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8 % | 7.3 % | 8.7 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.63 % | 6.1 % | 7.2 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7 % | 5.5 % | 5.9 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 8 Senegal 10.2 % compare
- 8 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 4.1 % compare
- 9 Cambodia 9.6 % compare
- 10 Burkina Faso 9.3 % compare
- 10 Sri Lanka 9.3 % compare
- 10 United Republic of Tanzania 3.1 % compare
- 11 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 2.5 % compare
- 12 Indonesia 8.4 % compare
- 13 Benin 8.3 % compare
- 14 Burundi 7.8 % compare
- 14 Chad 7.8 % compare
- 14 Guinea-Bissau 7.8 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.7 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5534 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1791 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 299.6 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
- Rural population 55.3% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 5.5 % 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5 % in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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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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.