Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Gambia

Underweight in adults in the Gambia in 2024 — 11.9%. Ranked 175 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 11 pp.

2024 11.9% −0.2 pp vs 2023
World rank 175of 199
Period maximum 22.9%1980
Period minimum 11.9%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Gambia, 1980–20241015202519801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 22.9%1981: 22.7%1982: 22.5%1983: 22.3%1984: 22.2%1985: 22%1986: 21.9%1987: 21.7%1988: 21.5%1989: 21.4%1990: 21.2%1991: 21%1992: 20.8%1993: 20.6%1994: 20.4%1995: 20.2%1996: 20%1997: 19.7%1998: 19.4%1999: 19.2%2000: 18.9%2001: 18.5%2002: 18.2%2003: 17.9%2004: 17.5%2005: 17.2%2006: 16.8%2007: 16.5%2008: 16.1%2009: 15.7%2010: 15.4%2011: 15.1%2012: 14.7%2013: 14.4%2014: 14.2%2015: 13.9%2016: 13.6%2017: 13.4%2018: 13.1%2019: 12.9%2020: 12.7%2021: 12.5%2022: 12.3%2023: 12.1%2024: 11.9%
Change over the period: −11 pp Annual average: -0.25 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Gambia 11.9%
World computed 7.5%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 12.1%
Western Africa computed 10%
Low-income countries computed 13.8%
Underweight in adults — Gambia, by year Gambia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 11.9 −0.2 pp
2023 12.1 −0.2 pp
2022 12.3 −0.2 pp
2021 12.5 −0.2 pp
2020 12.7 −0.2 pp
2019 12.9 −0.2 pp
2018 13.1 −0.2 pp
2017 13.4 −0.3 pp
2016 13.6 −0.3 pp
2015 13.9 −0.3 pp
2014 14.2 −0.3 pp
2013 14.4 −0.3 pp
2012 14.7 −0.3 pp
2011 15.1 −0.3 pp
2010 15.4 −0.3 pp
2009 15.7 −0.4 pp
2008 16.1 −0.4 pp
2007 16.5 −0.4 pp
2006 16.8 −0.4 pp
2005 17.2 −0.4 pp
2004 17.5 −0.3 pp
2003 17.9 −0.3 pp
2002 18.2 −0.3 pp
2001 18.5 −0.3 pp
2000 18.9 −0.3 pp
1999 19.2 −0.3 pp
1998 19.4 −0.3 pp
1997 19.7 −0.2 pp
1996 20 −0.2 pp
1995 20.2 −0.2 pp
1994 20.4 −0.2 pp
1993 20.6 −0.2 pp
1992 20.8 −0.2 pp
1991 21 −0.2 pp
1990 21.2 −0.2 pp
1989 21.4 −0.2 pp
1988 21.5 −0.2 pp
1987 21.7 −0.2 pp
1986 21.9 −0.2 pp
1985 22 −0.2 pp
1984 22.2 −0.2 pp
1983 22.3 −0.2 pp
1982 22.5 −0.2 pp
1981 22.7 −0.2 pp
1980 22.9

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.