Prevalence of wasting among children under 5 in Africa 2020, by geographical area
Between 2018 and 2020, six percent of children aged under five living in Africa had a too low weight for their height. In Western Africa, this share was 6.9 percent, the highest in Africa. Northern Africa registered the second highest percentage of wasted children in Africa, where 6.6 percent of the children were not growing well. Wasting is a predictor of infant mortality. It is caused by a large food shortage, often accompanied by diseases.
