Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — BRICS

Underweight in adults in BRICS in 2024 — 7.9%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 17.8 pp.

2024 7.9% −0.3 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 25.7%1980
Period minimum 7.9%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — BRICS, 1980–2024010203019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 25.7%1981: 25.3%1982: 24.8%1983: 24.4%1984: 23.9%1985: 23.5%1986: 23.1%1987: 22.6%1988: 22.2%1989: 21.7%1990: 21.3%1991: 20.9%1992: 20.6%1993: 20.2%1994: 19.9%1995: 19.5%1996: 19.2%1997: 18.9%1998: 18.5%1999: 18.2%2000: 17.8%2001: 17.5%2002: 17.1%2003: 16.8%2004: 16.4%2005: 16%2006: 15.6%2007: 15.2%2008: 14.7%2009: 14.3%2010: 13.8%2011: 13.4%2012: 12.9%2013: 12.4%2014: 11.9%2015: 11.5%2016: 11%2017: 10.6%2018: 10.1%2019: 9.7%2020: 9.3%2021: 8.9%2022: 8.6%2023: 8.2%2024: 7.9%
Change over the period: −17.8 pp Annual average: -0.41 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

BRICS 7.9%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — BRICS, by year BRICS All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 7.9 −0.3 pp
2023 8.2 −0.4 pp
2022 8.6 −0.4 pp
2021 8.9 −0.4 pp
2020 9.3 −0.4 pp
2019 9.7 −0.4 pp
2018 10.1 −0.4 pp
2017 10.6 −0.4 pp
2016 11 −0.5 pp
2015 11.5 −0.5 pp
2014 11.9 −0.5 pp
2013 12.4 −0.5 pp
2012 12.9 −0.5 pp
2011 13.4 −0.5 pp
2010 13.8 −0.5 pp
2009 14.3 −0.4 pp
2008 14.7 −0.4 pp
2007 15.2 −0.4 pp
2006 15.6 −0.4 pp
2005 16 −0.4 pp
2004 16.4 −0.4 pp
2003 16.8 −0.4 pp
2002 17.1 −0.4 pp
2001 17.5 −0.3 pp
2000 17.8 −0.3 pp
1999 18.2 −0.3 pp
1998 18.5 −0.3 pp
1997 18.9 −0.3 pp
1996 19.2 −0.3 pp
1995 19.5 −0.3 pp
1994 19.9 −0.3 pp
1993 20.2 −0.4 pp
1992 20.6 −0.4 pp
1991 20.9 −0.4 pp
1990 21.3 −0.4 pp
1989 21.7 −0.4 pp
1988 22.2 −0.4 pp
1987 22.6 −0.4 pp
1986 23.1 −0.4 pp
1985 23.5 −0.4 pp
1984 23.9 −0.4 pp
1983 24.4 −0.4 pp
1982 24.8 −0.4 pp
1981 25.3 −0.4 pp
1980 25.7

About the indicator

The share of people aged 18 and over with a body mass index below 18.5 kg/m². The indicator moves in the direction opposite to obesity, and together they describe what is called the double burden of malnutrition: in many middle-income countries both shares are high at once — underweight persists in the countryside, obesity has already come to the city. The largest values are given by South Asia and the Horn of Africa.

Important: The aggregate by group is weighted by the whole population rather than the adult one. Underweight in adults and undernourishment are different indicators: the first measures the body, the second the intake of calories.

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