Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Central America

Underweight in adults in Central America in 2024 — 1.8%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 6.2 pp.

2024 1.8% +0 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 8%1980
Period minimum 1.8%2016

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Central America, 1980–20240246819801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 8%1981: 7.6%1982: 7.2%1983: 6.8%1984: 6.4%1985: 6%1986: 5.7%1987: 5.3%1988: 5%1989: 4.7%1990: 4.4%1991: 4.2%1992: 3.9%1993: 3.7%1994: 3.4%1995: 3.2%1996: 3%1997: 2.9%1998: 2.7%1999: 2.6%2000: 2.5%2001: 2.3%2002: 2.3%2003: 2.2%2004: 2.1%2005: 2%2006: 2%2007: 1.9%2008: 1.9%2009: 1.9%2010: 1.8%2011: 1.8%2012: 1.8%2013: 1.8%2014: 1.8%2015: 1.8%2016: 1.8%2017: 1.8%2018: 1.8%2019: 1.8%2020: 1.8%2021: 1.8%2022: 1.8%2023: 1.8%2024: 1.8%
Change over the period: −6.2 pp Annual average: -0.14 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Central America 1.8%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Central America, by year Central America All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 1.8 +0 pp
2023 1.8 +0 pp
2022 1.8 +0 pp
2021 1.8 +0 pp
2020 1.8 +0 pp
2019 1.8 +0 pp
2018 1.8 +0 pp
2017 1.8 +0 pp
2016 1.8 −0 pp
2015 1.8 −0 pp
2014 1.8 −0 pp
2013 1.8 −0 pp
2012 1.8 −0 pp
2011 1.8 −0 pp
2010 1.8 −0 pp
2009 1.9 −0 pp
2008 1.9 −0 pp
2007 1.9 −0 pp
2006 2 −0.1 pp
2005 2 −0.1 pp
2004 2.1 −0.1 pp
2003 2.2 −0.1 pp
2002 2.3 −0.1 pp
2001 2.3 −0.1 pp
2000 2.5 −0.1 pp
1999 2.6 −0.1 pp
1998 2.7 −0.2 pp
1997 2.9 −0.2 pp
1996 3 −0.2 pp
1995 3.2 −0.2 pp
1994 3.4 −0.2 pp
1993 3.7 −0.2 pp
1992 3.9 −0.3 pp
1991 4.2 −0.3 pp
1990 4.4 −0.3 pp
1989 4.7 −0.3 pp
1988 5 −0.3 pp
1987 5.3 −0.3 pp
1986 5.7 −0.4 pp
1985 6 −0.4 pp
1984 6.4 −0.4 pp
1983 6.8 −0.4 pp
1982 7.2 −0.4 pp
1981 7.6 −0.4 pp
1980 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.