Underweight children — all countries

Underweight children — World

Underweight children in the world in 2024 — 12.2%. Since 2000, the indicator has fallen by 8.8 pp.

2024 12.2% −0.2 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 20.9%2000
Period minimum 12.2%2024

Trend over time

2000–2024 · % of children under 5

Underweight children — World, 2000–20241012.51517.52022.52000200320062009201220152018202120242000: 20.9%2001: 20.5%2002: 20.1%2003: 19.7%2004: 19.3%2005: 18.9%2006: 18.4%2007: 17.9%2008: 17.4%2009: 16.9%2010: 16.4%2011: 16%2012: 15.6%2013: 15.2%2014: 14.8%2015: 14.4%2016: 14%2017: 13.6%2018: 13.3%2019: 13.1%2020: 12.9%2021: 12.7%2022: 12.5%2023: 12.4%2024: 12.2%
Change over the period: −8.8 pp Annual average: -0.36 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

World 12.2%
World 12.2%
Underweight children — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 12.2 −0.2 pp
2023 12.4 −0.2 pp
2022 12.5 −0.2 pp
2021 12.7 −0.2 pp
2020 12.9 −0.2 pp
2019 13.1 −0.3 pp
2018 13.3 −0.3 pp
2017 13.6 −0.4 pp
2016 14 −0.4 pp
2015 14.4 −0.4 pp
2014 14.8 −0.4 pp
2013 15.2 −0.4 pp
2012 15.6 −0.4 pp
2011 16 −0.4 pp
2010 16.4 −0.5 pp
2009 16.9 −0.5 pp
2008 17.4 −0.5 pp
2007 17.9 −0.5 pp
2006 18.4 −0.5 pp
2005 18.9 −0.4 pp
2004 19.3 −0.4 pp
2003 19.7 −0.4 pp
2002 20.1 −0.4 pp
2001 20.5 −0.4 pp
2000 20.9

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.