Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Kenya

Underweight in adults in Kenya in 2024 — 12.8%. Ranked 184 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 5.3 pp.

2024 12.8% +0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank 184of 199
Period maximum 18.1%1980
Period minimum 12.6%2018

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Kenya, 1980–2024121416182019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 18.1%1981: 17.9%1982: 17.8%1983: 17.6%1984: 17.4%1985: 17.3%1986: 17.1%1987: 17%1988: 16.8%1989: 16.7%1990: 16.5%1991: 16.4%1992: 16.2%1993: 16.1%1994: 15.9%1995: 15.8%1996: 15.7%1997: 15.5%1998: 15.4%1999: 15.2%2000: 15.1%2001: 14.9%2002: 14.8%2003: 14.6%2004: 14.4%2005: 14.2%2006: 14.1%2007: 13.9%2008: 13.7%2009: 13.6%2010: 13.4%2011: 13.2%2012: 13.1%2013: 12.9%2014: 12.8%2015: 12.7%2016: 12.6%2017: 12.6%2018: 12.6%2019: 12.6%2020: 12.6%2021: 12.6%2022: 12.7%2023: 12.7%2024: 12.8%
Change over the period: −5.3 pp Annual average: -0.12 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Kenya 12.8%
World computed 7.5%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 12.1%
Eastern Africa computed 15.1%
Underweight in adults — Kenya, by year Kenya All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 12.8 +0.1 pp
2023 12.7 +0.1 pp
2022 12.7 +0.1 pp
2021 12.6 +0 pp
2020 12.6 +0 pp
2019 12.6 +0 pp
2018 12.6 −0 pp
2017 12.6 −0 pp
2016 12.6 −0.1 pp
2015 12.7 −0.1 pp
2014 12.8 −0.1 pp
2013 12.9 −0.1 pp
2012 13.1 −0.2 pp
2011 13.2 −0.2 pp
2010 13.4 −0.2 pp
2009 13.6 −0.2 pp
2008 13.7 −0.2 pp
2007 13.9 −0.2 pp
2006 14.1 −0.2 pp
2005 14.2 −0.2 pp
2004 14.4 −0.2 pp
2003 14.6 −0.2 pp
2002 14.8 −0.2 pp
2001 14.9 −0.2 pp
2000 15.1 −0.2 pp
1999 15.2 −0.2 pp
1998 15.4 −0.1 pp
1997 15.5 −0.1 pp
1996 15.7 −0.1 pp
1995 15.8 −0.1 pp
1994 15.9 −0.1 pp
1993 16.1 −0.1 pp
1992 16.2 −0.1 pp
1991 16.4 −0.1 pp
1990 16.5 −0.2 pp
1989 16.7 −0.2 pp
1988 16.8 −0.2 pp
1987 17 −0.2 pp
1986 17.1 −0.2 pp
1985 17.3 −0.2 pp
1984 17.4 −0.2 pp
1983 17.6 −0.2 pp
1982 17.8 −0.2 pp
1981 17.9 −0.2 pp
1980 18.1

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.