Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Sierra Leone

Underweight in adults in Sierra Leone in 2024 — 6.3%. Ranked 136 in the world out of 199. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 14.2 pp.

2024 6.3% −0.2 pp vs 2023
World rank 136of 199
Period maximum 20.5%1980
Period minimum 6.3%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Sierra Leone, 1980–2024010203019801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 20.5%1981: 20.3%1982: 20%1983: 19.7%1984: 19.4%1985: 19.2%1986: 18.9%1987: 18.6%1988: 18.3%1989: 18.1%1990: 17.8%1991: 17.5%1992: 17.2%1993: 16.9%1994: 16.6%1995: 16.3%1996: 16%1997: 15.7%1998: 15.3%1999: 15%2000: 14.6%2001: 14.3%2002: 13.9%2003: 13.5%2004: 13.1%2005: 12.7%2006: 12.3%2007: 11.9%2008: 11.4%2009: 11%2010: 10.6%2011: 10.2%2012: 9.8%2013: 9.4%2014: 9%2015: 8.7%2016: 8.4%2017: 8.1%2018: 7.8%2019: 7.5%2020: 7.2%2021: 7%2022: 6.7%2023: 6.5%2024: 6.3%
Change over the period: −14.2 pp Annual average: -0.32 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Sierra Leone 6.3%
World computed 7.5%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 12.1%
Western Africa computed 10%
Low-income countries computed 13.8%
Underweight in adults — Sierra Leone, by year Sierra Leone All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 6.3 −0.2 pp
2023 6.5 −0.2 pp
2022 6.7 −0.2 pp
2021 7 −0.2 pp
2020 7.2 −0.3 pp
2019 7.5 −0.3 pp
2018 7.8 −0.3 pp
2017 8.1 −0.3 pp
2016 8.4 −0.3 pp
2015 8.7 −0.3 pp
2014 9 −0.4 pp
2013 9.4 −0.4 pp
2012 9.8 −0.4 pp
2011 10.2 −0.4 pp
2010 10.6 −0.4 pp
2009 11 −0.4 pp
2008 11.4 −0.4 pp
2007 11.9 −0.4 pp
2006 12.3 −0.4 pp
2005 12.7 −0.4 pp
2004 13.1 −0.4 pp
2003 13.5 −0.4 pp
2002 13.9 −0.4 pp
2001 14.3 −0.4 pp
2000 14.6 −0.4 pp
1999 15 −0.3 pp
1998 15.3 −0.3 pp
1997 15.7 −0.3 pp
1996 16 −0.3 pp
1995 16.3 −0.3 pp
1994 16.6 −0.3 pp
1993 16.9 −0.3 pp
1992 17.2 −0.3 pp
1991 17.5 −0.3 pp
1990 17.8 −0.3 pp
1989 18.1 −0.3 pp
1988 18.3 −0.3 pp
1987 18.6 −0.3 pp
1986 18.9 −0.3 pp
1985 19.2 −0.3 pp
1984 19.4 −0.3 pp
1983 19.7 −0.3 pp
1982 20 −0.3 pp
1981 20.3 −0.3 pp
1980 20.5

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.