Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — G20

Underweight in adults in the G20 in 2024 — 6.8%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 13.3 pp.

2024 6.8% −0.3 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 20.1%1980
Period minimum 6.8%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — G20, 1980–2024010203019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 20.1%1981: 19.8%1982: 19.5%1983: 19.2%1984: 18.9%1985: 18.5%1986: 18.2%1987: 17.9%1988: 17.6%1989: 17.2%1990: 16.9%1991: 16.6%1992: 16.4%1993: 16.1%1994: 15.8%1995: 15.6%1996: 15.3%1997: 15.1%1998: 14.8%1999: 14.6%2000: 14.3%2001: 14.1%2002: 13.8%2003: 13.5%2004: 13.2%2005: 13%2006: 12.7%2007: 12.3%2008: 12%2009: 11.7%2010: 11.3%2011: 11%2012: 10.6%2013: 10.3%2014: 9.9%2015: 9.5%2016: 9.2%2017: 8.9%2018: 8.5%2019: 8.2%2020: 7.9%2021: 7.6%2022: 7.4%2023: 7.1%2024: 6.8%
Change over the period: −13.3 pp Annual average: -0.3 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: G20

G20 6.8%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — G20, by year G20 All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 6.8 −0.3 pp
2023 7.1 −0.3 pp
2022 7.4 −0.3 pp
2021 7.6 −0.3 pp
2020 7.9 −0.3 pp
2019 8.2 −0.3 pp
2018 8.5 −0.3 pp
2017 8.9 −0.3 pp
2016 9.2 −0.3 pp
2015 9.5 −0.4 pp
2014 9.9 −0.4 pp
2013 10.3 −0.4 pp
2012 10.6 −0.4 pp
2011 11 −0.3 pp
2010 11.3 −0.3 pp
2009 11.7 −0.3 pp
2008 12 −0.3 pp
2007 12.3 −0.3 pp
2006 12.7 −0.3 pp
2005 13 −0.3 pp
2004 13.2 −0.3 pp
2003 13.5 −0.3 pp
2002 13.8 −0.3 pp
2001 14.1 −0.3 pp
2000 14.3 −0.3 pp
1999 14.6 −0.3 pp
1998 14.8 −0.3 pp
1997 15.1 −0.2 pp
1996 15.3 −0.2 pp
1995 15.6 −0.3 pp
1994 15.8 −0.3 pp
1993 16.1 −0.3 pp
1992 16.4 −0.3 pp
1991 16.6 −0.3 pp
1990 16.9 −0.3 pp
1989 17.2 −0.3 pp
1988 17.6 −0.3 pp
1987 17.9 −0.3 pp
1986 18.2 −0.3 pp
1985 18.5 −0.3 pp
1984 18.9 −0.3 pp
1983 19.2 −0.3 pp
1982 19.5 −0.3 pp
1981 19.8 −0.3 pp
1980 20.1

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.