Southeast Asian and African children are often too thin, while European and American children are often too overweight.

Children's health conditions show a stark contrast across various regions globally. Many children in some areas suffer from malnutrition, are underweight, or even severely malnourished, while in other regions, some children are excessively overweight.

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that approximately 45.4 million children under five were estimated to be too thin for their height (what WHO terms "wasting") in 2020. Furthermore, around 13.6 million of these children experienced severe wasting (acute malnutrition).

The WHO explains that over half, or 56.2%, of children suffering from wasting reside in Southeast Asia.

Children with wasting, according to the WHO, have weakened immunity, are susceptible to long-term developmental delays, and face an increased risk of death, particularly if the wasting is severe.

Conversely, the WHO estimates that 38.9 million children under five were overweight or too heavy for their height in 2020. This is referred to by the WHO as "overweight."

This figure represents an increase from 33.3 million in 2019.

"The prevalence of overweight is very high in four WHO regions: the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, the Western Pacific, and the Americas," states the WHO.

A detailed analysis reveals a contrasting situation between Southeast Asia and Africa, compared to Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific.

The prevalence of wasting is significantly high in Southeast Asia at 14.5% and in Africa at 5.8%. Overweight prevalence in these two regions is not as high, reaching 3.3% in Southeast Asia and 4.2% in Africa.

Meanwhile, the prevalence of overweight children in the Americas reaches 8%, in Europe 7.9%, and in the Western Pacific 7.5%. Wasting in these three regions is considerably lower: 2.1% in the Western Pacific, 0.7% in the Americas, and 0% in Europe.

Sadly, the Eastern Mediterranean region presents a "middle ground," with significantly high prevalence rates for both categories: 7.4% for wasting and 7.7% for overweight.

The following table shows the prevalence of wasting and overweight in WHO monitored regions globally in 2020:

* Africa: Wasting 5.8%, Overweight 4.2%
* Southeast Asia: Wasting 14.5%, Overweight 3.3%
* Europe: Wasting 0%, Overweight 7.9%
* Americas: Wasting 0.7%, Overweight 8%
* Eastern Mediterranean: Wasting 7.4%, Overweight 7.7%
* Western Pacific: Wasting 2.1%, Overweight 7.5%
* Global Average: Wasting 6.7%, Overweight 5.7%