Underweight children — all countries

Underweight children — Afghanistan

Underweight children in Afghanistan in 2022 — 18.4%. Ranked 21 in the world out of 28. Since 1997, the indicator has fallen by 26.5 pp.

2022 18.4% −0.7 pp vs 2018
World rank 21of 28
Period maximum 44.9%1997
Period minimum 18.4%2022

Trend over time

1997–2022 · % of children under 5

Underweight children — Afghanistan, 1997–202210203040501997200020032006200920122015201820211997: 44.9%2004: 31.7%2013: 24.6%2018: 19.1%2022: 18.4%
Change over the period: −26.5 pp Annual average: -1.06 pp

Comparison, 2022

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Afghanistan

Afghanistan 18.4%
World 12.5%
South Asia 26.7%
Underweight children — Afghanistan, by year Afghanistan All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2022 18.4
2018 19.1
2013 24.6
2004 31.7
1997 44.9

Southern Asia, 2022

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of children under the age of five whose weight is more than two standard deviations below the median of the WHO growth standards. The indicator reflects a combination of chronic and acute undernutrition and remains one of the most accurate indicators of poverty: it depends little on the methodology of income accounting.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.