Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Western Europe

Underweight in adults in Western Europe in 2024 — 2.8%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 0.7 pp.

2024 2.8% +0 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 3.5%1980
Period minimum 2.5%2010

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Western Europe, 1980–202422.533.5419801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 3.5%1981: 3.5%1982: 3.4%1983: 3.3%1984: 3.3%1985: 3.2%1986: 3.2%1987: 3.1%1988: 3.1%1989: 3%1990: 3%1991: 2.9%1992: 2.9%1993: 2.9%1994: 2.8%1995: 2.8%1996: 2.8%1997: 2.7%1998: 2.7%1999: 2.7%2000: 2.6%2001: 2.6%2002: 2.6%2003: 2.6%2004: 2.6%2005: 2.6%2006: 2.5%2007: 2.5%2008: 2.5%2009: 2.5%2010: 2.5%2011: 2.5%2012: 2.5%2013: 2.5%2014: 2.5%2015: 2.5%2016: 2.5%2017: 2.6%2018: 2.6%2019: 2.6%2020: 2.7%2021: 2.7%2022: 2.7%2023: 2.8%2024: 2.8%
Change over the period: −0.7 pp Annual average: -0.02 pp

Comparison, 2024

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

Western Europe 2.8%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Western Europe, by year Western Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 2.8 +0 pp
2023 2.8 +0 pp
2022 2.7 +0 pp
2021 2.7 +0 pp
2020 2.7 +0 pp
2019 2.6 +0 pp
2018 2.6 +0 pp
2017 2.6 +0 pp
2016 2.5 +0 pp
2015 2.5 +0 pp
2014 2.5 +0 pp
2013 2.5 +0 pp
2012 2.5 +0 pp
2011 2.5 +0 pp
2010 2.5 −0 pp
2009 2.5 −0 pp
2008 2.5 −0 pp
2007 2.5 −0 pp
2006 2.5 −0 pp
2005 2.6 −0 pp
2004 2.6 −0 pp
2003 2.6 −0 pp
2002 2.6 −0 pp
2001 2.6 −0 pp
2000 2.6 −0 pp
1999 2.7 −0 pp
1998 2.7 −0 pp
1997 2.7 −0 pp
1996 2.8 −0 pp
1995 2.8 −0 pp
1994 2.8 −0 pp
1993 2.9 −0 pp
1992 2.9 −0 pp
1991 2.9 −0 pp
1990 3 −0 pp
1989 3 −0 pp
1988 3.1 −0 pp
1987 3.1 −0 pp
1986 3.2 −0.1 pp
1985 3.2 −0.1 pp
1984 3.3 −0.1 pp
1983 3.3 −0.1 pp
1982 3.4 −0.1 pp
1981 3.5 −0.1 pp
1980 3.5

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.