Underweight children — all countries

Underweight children — Middle East & North Africa

Underweight children in Middle East & North Africa in 2024 — 9.2%. Since 2000, the indicator has fallen by 7.3 pp.

2024 9.2% −0.2 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 16.5%2000
Period minimum 9.2%2024

Trend over time

2000–2024 · % of children under 5

Underweight children — Middle East & North Africa, 2000–2024810121416182000200320062009201220152018202120242000: 16.5%2001: 16.1%2002: 15.7%2003: 15.4%2004: 15%2005: 14.7%2006: 14.3%2007: 14%2008: 13.7%2009: 13.3%2010: 13%2011: 12.7%2012: 12.4%2013: 12.1%2014: 11.8%2015: 11.5%2016: 11.2%2017: 11%2018: 10.7%2019: 10.4%2020: 10.2%2021: 9.9%2022: 9.7%2023: 9.4%2024: 9.2%
Change over the period: −7.3 pp Annual average: -0.3 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa 9.2%
World 12.2%
Underweight children — Middle East & North Africa, by year Middle East & North Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 9.2 −0.2 pp
2023 9.4 −0.2 pp
2022 9.7 −0.2 pp
2021 9.9 −0.3 pp
2020 10.2 −0.3 pp
2019 10.4 −0.3 pp
2018 10.7 −0.3 pp
2017 11 −0.3 pp
2016 11.2 −0.3 pp
2015 11.5 −0.3 pp
2014 11.8 −0.3 pp
2013 12.1 −0.3 pp
2012 12.4 −0.3 pp
2011 12.7 −0.3 pp
2010 13 −0.3 pp
2009 13.3 −0.3 pp
2008 13.7 −0.3 pp
2007 14 −0.3 pp
2006 14.3 −0.3 pp
2005 14.7 −0.4 pp
2004 15 −0.4 pp
2003 15.4 −0.4 pp
2002 15.7 −0.4 pp
2001 16.1 −0.4 pp
2000 16.5

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.