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Joint child malnutrition estimates

Child malnutrition estimates for the indicators stunting, wasting, overweight and underweight describe the magnitude and patterns of under- and overnutrition. UNICEF-WHO-WB Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates inter-agency group updates regularly the global and regional estimates in prevalence and numbers for each indicator.

 

In 2020, 149.2 million children under 5 years of age were too short for their age (stunting), 45.4 million were too thin for their height (wasting) and 38.9 million were too heavy for their height (overweight). 

UNICEF / WHO / The World Bank Group joint child malnutrition estimates: key findings of the 2021 edition

UNICEF-WHO-WB Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates inter-agency group regularly updates the global and regional estimates in prevalence and numbers for each indicator. The key findings 2021 Edition includes global and regional trends and, for the first time, country-level estimates are also presented, with a summary of the enhanced methodology for deriving country-level model-based estimates for stunting and overweight. Country progress assessment towards the 2030 targets are provided with summaries by region.

Child malnutrition dashboard

Related indicators

Stunting in children under 5 (JME) (UNICEF-WHO-WB)
Overweight in children under 5 (JME) (UNICEF-WHO-WB)
Underweight in children under 5 (JME) (UNICEF-WHO-WB)
Wasting in children under 5 (JME) (UNICEF-WHO-WB)
Severe wasting in children < 5 (JME) (UNICEF-WHO-WB)
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