The ECA region has made significant progress in reducing the prevalence of wasting for children under 5. In 2020, the prevalence was 1.9 percent which was less than one-third of the global average of 6.7 percent (Figure 9). Among ECA subregions, the prevalence of wasting among children was highest in the Western Balkans (2.5 percent), the Caucasus (2.3 percent) and Central Asia (2.3 percent). The other subregions had a prevalence lower than the ECA average.
As shown in Figure 10, the prevalence of child wasting varies significantly by country; while 11 of the 17 countries have a recent (2014 and after) estimate below the 2030 target of 3 percent,3 six – Armenia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – still have a prevalence higher than 3 percent. 3 The assessment for the wasting target is based on the most recent point estimate, even though confidence intervals are available, which in many cases surpass the cut-off. Wasting is an acute condition that can change frequently and rapidly, even as rapidly as over the course of a calendar year. Therefore, countries considered as having met the target may not when future surveys are available.