Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Eastern Asia

Underweight in adults in Eastern Asia in 2024 — 5.3%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 8.1 pp.

2024 5.3% −0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 13.4%1980
Period minimum 5.3%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Eastern Asia, 1980–202457.51012.51519801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 13.4%1981: 13.1%1982: 12.8%1983: 12.5%1984: 12.2%1985: 12%1986: 11.7%1987: 11.4%1988: 11.1%1989: 10.8%1990: 10.5%1991: 10.2%1992: 10%1993: 9.7%1994: 9.5%1995: 9.3%1996: 9.1%1997: 8.9%1998: 8.7%1999: 8.6%2000: 8.4%2001: 8.3%2002: 8.2%2003: 8.1%2004: 7.9%2005: 7.8%2006: 7.7%2007: 7.5%2008: 7.4%2009: 7.3%2010: 7.1%2011: 7%2012: 6.8%2013: 6.7%2014: 6.5%2015: 6.4%2016: 6.2%2017: 6.1%2018: 5.9%2019: 5.8%2020: 5.7%2021: 5.6%2022: 5.5%2023: 5.4%2024: 5.3%
Change over the period: −8.1 pp Annual average: -0.18 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Eastern Asia 5.3%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Eastern Asia, by year Eastern Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 5.3 −0.1 pp
2023 5.4 −0.1 pp
2022 5.5 −0.1 pp
2021 5.6 −0.1 pp
2020 5.7 −0.1 pp
2019 5.8 −0.1 pp
2018 5.9 −0.1 pp
2017 6.1 −0.1 pp
2016 6.2 −0.2 pp
2015 6.4 −0.2 pp
2014 6.5 −0.2 pp
2013 6.7 −0.2 pp
2012 6.8 −0.1 pp
2011 7 −0.1 pp
2010 7.1 −0.1 pp
2009 7.3 −0.1 pp
2008 7.4 −0.1 pp
2007 7.5 −0.1 pp
2006 7.7 −0.1 pp
2005 7.8 −0.1 pp
2004 7.9 −0.1 pp
2003 8.1 −0.1 pp
2002 8.2 −0.1 pp
2001 8.3 −0.1 pp
2000 8.4 −0.1 pp
1999 8.6 −0.2 pp
1998 8.7 −0.2 pp
1997 8.9 −0.2 pp
1996 9.1 −0.2 pp
1995 9.3 −0.2 pp
1994 9.5 −0.2 pp
1993 9.7 −0.2 pp
1992 10 −0.3 pp
1991 10.2 −0.3 pp
1990 10.5 −0.3 pp
1989 10.8 −0.3 pp
1988 11.1 −0.3 pp
1987 11.4 −0.3 pp
1986 11.7 −0.3 pp
1985 12 −0.3 pp
1984 12.2 −0.3 pp
1983 12.5 −0.3 pp
1982 12.8 −0.3 pp
1981 13.1 −0.3 pp
1980 13.4

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.