Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Eastern Africa

Underweight in adults in Eastern Africa in 2024 — 15.1%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 5.3 pp.

2024 15.1% −0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 20.5%1980
Period minimum 15.1%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Eastern Africa, 1980–2024141618202219801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 20.5%1981: 20.3%1982: 20.2%1983: 20.1%1984: 20%1985: 19.8%1986: 19.7%1987: 19.6%1988: 19.5%1989: 19.4%1990: 19.3%1991: 19.3%1992: 19.2%1993: 19.1%1994: 19.1%1995: 19%1996: 18.9%1997: 18.8%1998: 18.7%1999: 18.6%2000: 18.5%2001: 18.4%2002: 18.3%2003: 18.2%2004: 18%2005: 17.9%2006: 17.7%2007: 17.5%2008: 17.3%2009: 17.1%2010: 16.9%2011: 16.7%2012: 16.5%2013: 16.3%2014: 16.1%2015: 16%2016: 15.8%2017: 15.7%2018: 15.5%2019: 15.4%2020: 15.4%2021: 15.3%2022: 15.2%2023: 15.2%2024: 15.1%
Change over the period: −5.3 pp Annual average: -0.12 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Eastern Africa 15.1%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Eastern Africa, by year Eastern Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 15.1 −0.1 pp
2023 15.2 −0.1 pp
2022 15.2 −0.1 pp
2021 15.3 −0.1 pp
2020 15.4 −0.1 pp
2019 15.4 −0.1 pp
2018 15.5 −0.1 pp
2017 15.7 −0.1 pp
2016 15.8 −0.2 pp
2015 16 −0.2 pp
2014 16.1 −0.2 pp
2013 16.3 −0.2 pp
2012 16.5 −0.2 pp
2011 16.7 −0.2 pp
2010 16.9 −0.2 pp
2009 17.1 −0.2 pp
2008 17.3 −0.2 pp
2007 17.5 −0.2 pp
2006 17.7 −0.2 pp
2005 17.9 −0.2 pp
2004 18 −0.1 pp
2003 18.2 −0.1 pp
2002 18.3 −0.1 pp
2001 18.4 −0.1 pp
2000 18.5 −0.1 pp
1999 18.6 −0.1 pp
1998 18.7 −0.1 pp
1997 18.8 −0.1 pp
1996 18.9 −0.1 pp
1995 19 −0 pp
1994 19.1 −0 pp
1993 19.1 −0.1 pp
1992 19.2 −0.1 pp
1991 19.3 −0.1 pp
1990 19.3 −0.1 pp
1989 19.4 −0.1 pp
1988 19.5 −0.1 pp
1987 19.6 −0.1 pp
1986 19.7 −0.1 pp
1985 19.8 −0.1 pp
1984 20 −0.1 pp
1983 20.1 −0.1 pp
1982 20.2 −0.1 pp
1981 20.3 −0.1 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.