Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Mauritania

Underweight in adults in Mauritania in 2024 — 7.9%. Ranked 150 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 11.4 pp.

2024 7.9% −0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank 150of 199
Period maximum 19.3%1980
Period minimum 7.9%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Mauritania, 1980–2024510152019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 19.3%1981: 19%1982: 18.7%1983: 18.3%1984: 18%1985: 17.7%1986: 17.3%1987: 17%1988: 16.6%1989: 16.3%1990: 16%1991: 15.7%1992: 15.3%1993: 15%1994: 14.7%1995: 14.4%1996: 14%1997: 13.7%1998: 13.4%1999: 13%2000: 12.7%2001: 12.4%2002: 12%2003: 11.7%2004: 11.4%2005: 11.1%2006: 10.8%2007: 10.5%2008: 10.2%2009: 10%2010: 9.7%2011: 9.5%2012: 9.3%2013: 9.1%2014: 8.9%2015: 8.8%2016: 8.6%2017: 8.5%2018: 8.4%2019: 8.3%2020: 8.2%2021: 8.1%2022: 8.1%2023: 8%2024: 7.9%
Change over the period: −11.4 pp Annual average: -0.26 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Mauritania 7.9%
World computed 7.5%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 12.1%
Western Africa computed 10%
Underweight in adults — Mauritania, by year Mauritania All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 7.9 −0.1 pp
2023 8 −0.1 pp
2022 8.1 −0.1 pp
2021 8.1 −0.1 pp
2020 8.2 −0.1 pp
2019 8.3 −0.1 pp
2018 8.4 −0.1 pp
2017 8.5 −0.1 pp
2016 8.6 −0.1 pp
2015 8.8 −0.2 pp
2014 8.9 −0.2 pp
2013 9.1 −0.2 pp
2012 9.3 −0.2 pp
2011 9.5 −0.2 pp
2010 9.7 −0.2 pp
2009 10 −0.3 pp
2008 10.2 −0.3 pp
2007 10.5 −0.3 pp
2006 10.8 −0.3 pp
2005 11.1 −0.3 pp
2004 11.4 −0.3 pp
2003 11.7 −0.3 pp
2002 12 −0.3 pp
2001 12.4 −0.3 pp
2000 12.7 −0.3 pp
1999 13 −0.3 pp
1998 13.4 −0.3 pp
1997 13.7 −0.3 pp
1996 14 −0.3 pp
1995 14.4 −0.3 pp
1994 14.7 −0.3 pp
1993 15 −0.3 pp
1992 15.3 −0.3 pp
1991 15.7 −0.3 pp
1990 16 −0.3 pp
1989 16.3 −0.3 pp
1988 16.6 −0.3 pp
1987 17 −0.3 pp
1986 17.3 −0.3 pp
1985 17.7 −0.3 pp
1984 18 −0.3 pp
1983 18.3 −0.3 pp
1982 18.7 −0.3 pp
1981 19 −0.3 pp
1980 19.3

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.