Global nutrition targets 2030: child wasting brief

Overview

Wasting, or being too thin for one’s age, is defined as a weight-for-height that is more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards median. Addressing wasting is of critical importance because of the heightened risk of disease and death for children who lose too much of their body weight.

In 2024, it was estimated that 6.6% of children under five years of age were suffering from wasting. The world is clearly not on track to achieve the 2025 target to reduce and maintain child wasting to less than 5%. During the 78th World Health Assembly, WHO’s Member States passed a resolution to extend the target for five more years to 2030, during which time actors can intensify attention to, investment in, and actions for reducing the prevalence of wasting. The purpose of this brief is to highlight the interventions and policies needed to achieve the extended target by 2030.