Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Latin America & Caribbean

Underweight in adults in Latin America & Caribbean in 2024 — 2.5%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 5.2 pp.

2024 2.5% −0 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 7.7%1980
Period minimum 2.5%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Latin America & Caribbean, 1980–20240246819801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 7.7%1981: 7.4%1982: 7.1%1983: 6.9%1984: 6.6%1985: 6.4%1986: 6.1%1987: 5.9%1988: 5.7%1989: 5.5%1990: 5.3%1991: 5.1%1992: 4.9%1993: 4.7%1994: 4.5%1995: 4.4%1996: 4.2%1997: 4.1%1998: 3.9%1999: 3.8%2000: 3.7%2001: 3.6%2002: 3.5%2003: 3.4%2004: 3.3%2005: 3.2%2006: 3.1%2007: 3.1%2008: 3%2009: 2.9%2010: 2.9%2011: 2.8%2012: 2.8%2013: 2.7%2014: 2.7%2015: 2.7%2016: 2.6%2017: 2.6%2018: 2.6%2019: 2.6%2020: 2.5%2021: 2.5%2022: 2.5%2023: 2.5%2024: 2.5%
Change over the period: −5.2 pp Annual average: -0.12 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Latin America & Caribbean

Latin America & Caribbean 2.5%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Latin America & Caribbean, by year Latin America & Caribbean All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 2.5 −0 pp
2023 2.5 −0 pp
2022 2.5 −0 pp
2021 2.5 −0 pp
2020 2.5 −0 pp
2019 2.6 −0 pp
2018 2.6 −0 pp
2017 2.6 −0 pp
2016 2.6 −0 pp
2015 2.7 −0 pp
2014 2.7 −0 pp
2013 2.7 −0 pp
2012 2.8 −0 pp
2011 2.8 −0 pp
2010 2.9 −0.1 pp
2009 2.9 −0.1 pp
2008 3 −0.1 pp
2007 3.1 −0.1 pp
2006 3.1 −0.1 pp
2005 3.2 −0.1 pp
2004 3.3 −0.1 pp
2003 3.4 −0.1 pp
2002 3.5 −0.1 pp
2001 3.6 −0.1 pp
2000 3.7 −0.1 pp
1999 3.8 −0.1 pp
1998 3.9 −0.1 pp
1997 4.1 −0.1 pp
1996 4.2 −0.2 pp
1995 4.4 −0.2 pp
1994 4.5 −0.2 pp
1993 4.7 −0.2 pp
1992 4.9 −0.2 pp
1991 5.1 −0.2 pp
1990 5.3 −0.2 pp
1989 5.5 −0.2 pp
1988 5.7 −0.2 pp
1987 5.9 −0.2 pp
1986 6.1 −0.2 pp
1985 6.4 −0.2 pp
1984 6.6 −0.3 pp
1983 6.9 −0.3 pp
1982 7.1 −0.3 pp
1981 7.4 −0.3 pp
1980 7.7

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.