Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Middle East & North Africa

Underweight in adults in Middle East & North Africa in 2024 — 4%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 3.8 pp.

2024 4% +0 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 7.8%1980
Period minimum 4%2019

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Middle East & North Africa, 1980–202434567819801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 7.8%1981: 7.6%1982: 7.5%1983: 7.3%1984: 7.1%1985: 7%1986: 6.8%1987: 6.7%1988: 6.5%1989: 6.4%1990: 6.2%1991: 6.1%1992: 6%1993: 5.8%1994: 5.7%1995: 5.6%1996: 5.5%1997: 5.3%1998: 5.2%1999: 5.1%2000: 5%2001: 4.9%2002: 4.8%2003: 4.7%2004: 4.6%2005: 4.5%2006: 4.4%2007: 4.4%2008: 4.3%2009: 4.2%2010: 4.2%2011: 4.2%2012: 4.1%2013: 4.1%2014: 4.1%2015: 4%2016: 4%2017: 4%2018: 4%2019: 4%2020: 4%2021: 4%2022: 4%2023: 4%2024: 4%
Change over the period: −3.8 pp Annual average: -0.09 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Middle East & North Africa

Middle East & North Africa 4%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Middle East & North Africa, by year Middle East & North Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 4 +0 pp
2023 4 +0 pp
2022 4 +0 pp
2021 4 +0 pp
2020 4 +0 pp
2019 4 −0 pp
2018 4 −0 pp
2017 4 −0 pp
2016 4 −0 pp
2015 4 −0 pp
2014 4.1 −0 pp
2013 4.1 −0 pp
2012 4.1 −0 pp
2011 4.2 −0 pp
2010 4.2 −0 pp
2009 4.2 −0 pp
2008 4.3 −0.1 pp
2007 4.4 −0.1 pp
2006 4.4 −0.1 pp
2005 4.5 −0.1 pp
2004 4.6 −0.1 pp
2003 4.7 −0.1 pp
2002 4.8 −0.1 pp
2001 4.9 −0.1 pp
2000 5 −0.1 pp
1999 5.1 −0.1 pp
1998 5.2 −0.1 pp
1997 5.3 −0.1 pp
1996 5.5 −0.1 pp
1995 5.6 −0.1 pp
1994 5.7 −0.1 pp
1993 5.8 −0.1 pp
1992 6 −0.1 pp
1991 6.1 −0.1 pp
1990 6.2 −0.2 pp
1989 6.4 −0.1 pp
1988 6.5 −0.1 pp
1987 6.7 −0.1 pp
1986 6.8 −0.2 pp
1985 7 −0.2 pp
1984 7.1 −0.2 pp
1983 7.3 −0.2 pp
1982 7.5 −0.2 pp
1981 7.6 −0.2 pp
1980 7.8

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.