Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

Abstract

This study provides high-resolution geospatial estimates of under‑5 childhood overweight and wasting prevalence across 105 low‑ and middle‑income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017, aggregated to policy‑relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased from 8.4 % (≈62.3 million) in 2000 to 6.4 % (≈58.3 million) in 2017, yet remains above WHO’s target (<5 %) in over half of LMICs by 2025. Overweight increased from 5.2 % (~30 million) to 6.0 % (~55.5 million) across the same period :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}. Areas most affected by the double burden include Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon, and central Nigeria :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.