World Suffering Index
Home/Research Series/Child wasting
Published pilotOne-day equivalent burden rateP1 - early illustrative mapping

Child Wasting and Severe Wasting, 2024

Global and regional evidence with an Experimental Daily-Equivalent USU Pilot Estimate

Series IDWSI-CW-JME-2024-01
Geographic scopeGlobal and four printed regional groups
Time basisOne-day equivalent burden rate
Primary sourceUNICEF / WHO / World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates
Read the 2-minute briefFull research report

In two minutes

Source evidence42.8 million children affected by wasting

12.2 million affected by severe wasting

Experimental WSI estimate55.9 million USU/day globally

Deterministic mapping range: 27.9-83.8 million USU/day globally

Main insightSevere wasting contributes 44.4% of central modeled daily burden despite accounting for about 28.5% of the global wasting total.
Time basisOne-day equivalent burden rate

2024 prevalence estimates

Why this series matters

This series separates moderate and severe wasting to show how severity changes the daily burden estimate.

WSI derives moderate wasting by subtracting severe wasting from aligned total counts, then applies separate one-day intensity scenarios to the moderate and severe states.

Experimental USU result

Central experimental estimate55.9 million USU/day globallyOne-day equivalent burden rate
Deterministic mapping range27.9-83.8 million USU/day globallyApproved low and high scenarios; not a confidence interval.
Experimental USU pilot estimate. The source directly reports the stated population, episodes, or severity categories. WSI applies provisional intensity and, where applicable, duration mappings to estimate linear intensity-time burden and expresses that burden relative to the declared renal-colic reference. Mortality is excluded from USU and shown separately when the source supplies a comparable measure.

What the model adds

  • Separates moderate and severe wasting within a common daily-equivalent unit.
  • Shows the disproportionate modeled contribution of the severe state.
  • Tests a regional application while preserving the limitations of rounded source values.

How to interpret it

  • The result is a one-day equivalent rate, not an annual cumulative burden.
  • The official regional values are rounded as printed, especially affecting small regions.
  • The P1 mappings are early illustrative assumptions, not child-reported or clinically validated suffering scores.
  • Mortality, medical complications, future developmental loss, and caregiver suffering remain outside USU.
Model assumptions at a glance

Moderate wasting: intensity 1/2/3. Severe wasting: 2/4/6. One-day duration; linear p=1; no overlap; mortality separate.

Mapping maturity: P1 - early illustrative mapping.

Mortality: Mortality is excluded from USU; the JME prevalence tables do not supply a comparable death total.

Read more

Reports and methods

2-minute public brief

A two-page summary of the evidence, experimental estimate, main finding, and limits.

Public Brief

Full research report

The full report includes source context, approved mappings, results, and interpretation.

Full Report

For technical readers: research methods and assumptions (PDF).