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

World: Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) was 6.6 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6.6 %
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
7th
of 29 groups
All-time high
8.8 %
in 2000
All-time low
6.6 %
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

024682000201220242000: 8.8 %2001: 8.7 %2002: 8.6 %2003: 8.5 %2004: 8.4 %2005: 8.3 %2006: 8.2 %2007: 8.1 %2008: 7.9 %2009: 7.8 %2010: 7.7 %2011: 7.6 %2012: 7.4 %2013: 7.3 %2014: 7.2 %2015: 7.1 %2016: 7 %2017: 6.9 %2018: 6.8 %2019: 6.8 %2020: 6.7 %2021: 6.7 %2022: 6.7 %2023: 6.6 %2024: 6.6 %

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

Analysis

World recorded 6.6 % for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in World peaked at 8.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.6 %, in 2023.

That places World 7th out of 29 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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 World, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) — Value in World, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 8.8 %
2001 8.7 % -1.1%
2002 8.6 % -1.1%
2003 8.5 % -1.2%
2004 8.4 % -1.2%
2005 8.3 % -1.2%
2006 8.2 % -1.2%
2007 8.1 % -1.2%
2008 7.9 % -2.5%
2009 7.8 % -1.3%
2010 7.7 % -1.3%
2011 7.6 % -1.3%
2012 7.4 % -2.6%
2013 7.3 % -1.4%
2014 7.2 % -1.4%
2015 7.1 % -1.4%
2016 7 % -1.4%
2017 6.9 % -1.4%
2018 6.8 % -1.4%
2019 6.8 % +0.0%
2020 6.7 % -1.5%
2021 6.7 % +0.0%
2022 6.7 % +0.0%
2023 6.6 % -1.5%
2024 6.6 % +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.33 % 7.8 % 8.8 % 10
2010s 7.18 % 6.8 % 7.7 % 10
2020s 6.66 % 6.6 % 6.7 % 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 7.2 % compare
  2. 4 Nigeria 11.6 % compare
  3. 5 Côte d'Ivoire 8.1 % compare
  4. 5 Malaysia 11 % compare
  5. 6 Niger 10.9 % compare
  6. 7 Bangladesh 10.7 % compare
  7. 7 Viet Nam 4.4 % compare
  8. 8 Senegal 10.2 % compare
  9. 8 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 4.1 % compare
  10. 9 Cambodia 9.6 % compare
  11. 10 Burkina Faso 9.3 % compare
  12. 10 Sri Lanka 9.3 % compare
  13. 10 United Republic of Tanzania 3.1 % compare

See the full ranking of 109 places →

More agriculture & rural data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in World?
Percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) in World was 6.6 % 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 8.8 % in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 6.6 % in 2023.
How does World rank for percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent)?
World ranks 7th out of 29 groups with data for 2024.
Is percentage of children under 5 years affected by wasting (percent) rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-affected-by-wasting-percent-value/world/

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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.