Skip to main content

Table 4 Prevalences of global acute malnutrition produced by each indicator (WHZ, MUACZ and MUAC) by age group and by region

From: Concordance between estimates of acute malnutrition measured by weight-for-height and by mid-upper arm circumference after age adjustment: population-representative surveys from humanitarian settings

Region

Median Prevalence WHZ < − 2

Median Prevalence MUACZ<-2

Median Prevalence MUAC < 125 mm

Age 6–23 months [N] % (IQR)

Age 24–59 months [N] % (IQR)

Age 6–23 months [N] % (IQR)

Age 24–59 months [N] % (IQR)

Age 6–23 months [N] % (IQR)

Age 24–59 months [N] % (IQR)

Latin America & Caribbean

[5,830] 5.65 (4.18–6.96)

[9,740] 3.21 (2.09–3.89)

[5,837] 4.88 (3.76–8.40)

[9,746] 6.29 (3.92–8.93)

[5,852] 5.51 (3.74–8.92)

[9,766] 1.48 (0.77–2.38)

Middle East & North Africa

[1,400] 2.11 (0.88–4.76)

[2,457] 1.60 (1.11–3.14)

[1,409] 3.45 (0.88–5.70)

[2,454] 0.95 (0.37–1.09)

[1,410] 2.76 (2.63–6.22)

[2,463] 0.47 (0.00–0.94)

West & Central Africa

[53,008] 12.10 (7.79–18.28)

[96,284] 7.42 (4.36–11.44)

[52,882] 12.75 (7.59–19.46)

[96,396] 12.45 (7.00–20.41)

[52,977] 13.96 (7.95–21.27)

[96,493] 2.75 (0.96–5.69)

Democratic Republic of Congo

[34,280] 9.42 (5.76–13.81)

[56,746] 6.81 (4.37–10.30)

[34,232] 15.86 (12.07–21.99)

[56,751] 16.31 (11.78–23.08)

[34,319] 17.84 (13.22–24.08)

[56,831] 5.01 (2.79–7.31)

Eastern & Southern Africa

[49,039] 10.60 (7.91–16.30)

[86,323] 9.36 (4.76–17.18)

[48,961] 9.77 (5.84–14.71)

[86,429] 11.43 (7.43–16.84)

[49,029] 10.76 (6.31–16.22)

[86,524] 1.76 (0.74–3.40)

Sudan

[39,888] 22.84 (16.76–29.68)

[77,752] 16.22 (10.52–19.38)

[39,607] 19.98 (14.26–25.91)

[77,864] 16.44 (12.06–20.68)

[39,685] 21.42 (16.36–29.41)

[77,908] 2.85 (1.80–5.12)

East Asia & Pacific

[5,757] 22.49 (10.58–27.10)

[10,727] 13.83 (4.18–16.72)

[5,728] 20.96 (10.91–26.57)

[10,744] 25.90 (14.14–29.72)

[5,733] 22.08 (9.72–30.67)

[10,749] 4.56 (1.61–6.90)

South Asia

[32,422] 14.82 (8.97–21.74)

[60,655] 8.48 (5.15–13.95)

[32,226] 17.49 (11.38–25.26)

[60,790] 15.18 (10.18–21.12)

[32,313] 18.47 (12.55–27.29)

[60,825] 3.06 (1.68–5.19)

TOTAL

[221,624] 12.72 (8.17–20.67)

[400,684] 8.73 (4.80–14.74)

[220,882] 13.92 (8.56–20.22)

[40,1174] 13.41 (8.56–20.22)

[221,318] 15.32 (9.17–22.80)

[401,559] 2.75 (1.31–5.01)

  1. MUAC Mid-upper arm circumference, MUACZ Mid-upper arm circumference-for-age Z-score, WHZ Weight-for-height Z-Score, IQR interquartile range