Some studies have been conducted in Ethiopia to analyze the predictive factors associated with recovery or mortality in children with acute malnutrition, but no recent studies carried out in Oromia have analyze nutritional recovery status in this children. we studied the factors affecting nutritional recovery for survival in acutely malnourished children Southern Ethiopia. cohort study that included the children admitted to the (blinded for review) hospital (Oromia, Ethiopia) for acute malnutrition from January 2015 to December 2016 (n = 440). Kaplan–Meier tests and log-rank tests were used to describe the survival. Chi-squared tests and Spearman and Mann–Whitney U correlation tests were also employed. The mean survival time was shorter in children with severe versus moderate malnutrition at admission (49 days vs. 101 days; log-rank p = 0.042). The survival time was shorter in children with severe acute malnutrition at the time of admission. Survival time of children with moderate acute malnutrition was shorter in children who came from rural areas compared to urban areas. Severe acute malnutrition was associated with hospital stays, death rates, or transfer to another hospital. Practical implications: the results of this study may improve the care of children with malnutrition.