Underweight children — all countries

Underweight children — Lesotho

Underweight children in Lesotho in 2024 — 12.5%. Ranked 3 in the world out of 6. Since 1992, the indicator has fallen by 1.3 pp.

2024 12.5% +2 pp vs 2018
World rank 3of 6
Period maximum 18.9%1993
Period minimum 10.5%2014

Trend over time

1992–2024 · % of children under 5

Underweight children — Lesotho, 1992–20241012.51517.5201992199620002004200820122016202020241992: 13.8%1993: 18.9%2004: 16.6%2009: 13.4%2014: 10.5%2018: 10.5%2024: 12.5%
Change over the period: −1.3 pp Annual average: -0.04 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Lesotho 12.5%
World 12.2%
Underweight children — Lesotho, by year Lesotho All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 12.5
2018 10.5
2014 10.5
2009 13.4
2004 16.6
1993 18.9 +5.1 pp
1992 13.8

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.