Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Western Asia

Underweight in adults in Western Asia in 2024 — 4.2%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 1.9 pp.

2024 4.2% +0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 6.1%1980
Period minimum 3.7%2009

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Western Asia, 1980–20243456719801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 6.1%1981: 5.9%1982: 5.8%1983: 5.6%1984: 5.5%1985: 5.4%1986: 5.2%1987: 5.1%1988: 5%1989: 4.9%1990: 4.8%1991: 4.7%1992: 4.6%1993: 4.5%1994: 4.4%1995: 4.4%1996: 4.3%1997: 4.2%1998: 4.1%1999: 4.1%2000: 4%2001: 3.9%2002: 3.9%2003: 3.8%2004: 3.8%2005: 3.7%2006: 3.7%2007: 3.7%2008: 3.7%2009: 3.7%2010: 3.7%2011: 3.7%2012: 3.7%2013: 3.7%2014: 3.8%2015: 3.8%2016: 3.8%2017: 3.8%2018: 3.9%2019: 3.9%2020: 4%2021: 4%2022: 4.1%2023: 4.1%2024: 4.2%
Change over the period: −1.9 pp Annual average: -0.04 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Western Asia 4.2%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Western Asia, by year Western Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 4.2 +0.1 pp
2023 4.1 +0.1 pp
2022 4.1 +0.1 pp
2021 4 +0.1 pp
2020 4 +0.1 pp
2019 3.9 +0 pp
2018 3.9 +0 pp
2017 3.8 +0 pp
2016 3.8 +0 pp
2015 3.8 +0 pp
2014 3.8 +0 pp
2013 3.7 +0 pp
2012 3.7 +0 pp
2011 3.7 +0 pp
2010 3.7 +0 pp
2009 3.7 −0 pp
2008 3.7 −0 pp
2007 3.7 −0 pp
2006 3.7 −0 pp
2005 3.7 −0 pp
2004 3.8 −0 pp
2003 3.8 −0.1 pp
2002 3.9 −0.1 pp
2001 3.9 −0.1 pp
2000 4 −0.1 pp
1999 4.1 −0.1 pp
1998 4.1 −0.1 pp
1997 4.2 −0.1 pp
1996 4.3 −0.1 pp
1995 4.4 −0.1 pp
1994 4.4 −0.1 pp
1993 4.5 −0.1 pp
1992 4.6 −0.1 pp
1991 4.7 −0.1 pp
1990 4.8 −0.1 pp
1989 4.9 −0.1 pp
1988 5 −0.1 pp
1987 5.1 −0.1 pp
1986 5.2 −0.1 pp
1985 5.4 −0.1 pp
1984 5.5 −0.1 pp
1983 5.6 −0.1 pp
1982 5.8 −0.2 pp
1981 5.9 −0.2 pp
1980 6.1

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.