Underweight in adults — all countries

Underweight in adults — Upper-middle-income countries

Underweight in adults in upper-middle-income countries in 2024 — 4.6%. Since 1980, the indicator has fallen by 8.6 pp.

2024 4.6% −0.1 pp vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 13.2%1980
Period minimum 4.6%2024

Trend over time

1980–2024 · % of adults

Underweight in adults — Upper-middle-income countries, 1980–202405101519801985199019952000200520102015202020241980: 13.2%1981: 12.9%1982: 12.6%1983: 12.4%1984: 12.1%1985: 11.8%1986: 11.5%1987: 11.2%1988: 10.9%1989: 10.6%1990: 10.3%1991: 10%1992: 9.8%1993: 9.5%1994: 9.3%1995: 9.1%1996: 8.8%1997: 8.6%1998: 8.5%1999: 8.3%2000: 8.1%2001: 8%2002: 7.8%2003: 7.6%2004: 7.5%2005: 7.3%2006: 7.2%2007: 7%2008: 6.8%2009: 6.7%2010: 6.5%2011: 6.4%2012: 6.2%2013: 6%2014: 5.9%2015: 5.7%2016: 5.6%2017: 5.4%2018: 5.3%2019: 5.1%2020: 5%2021: 4.9%2022: 4.8%2023: 4.7%2024: 4.6%
Change over the period: −8.6 pp Annual average: -0.2 pp

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Upper-middle-income countries

Upper-middle-income countries 4.6%
World computed 7.5%
Underweight in adults — Upper-middle-income countries, by year Upper-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 4.6 −0.1 pp
2023 4.7 −0.1 pp
2022 4.8 −0.1 pp
2021 4.9 −0.1 pp
2020 5 −0.1 pp
2019 5.1 −0.1 pp
2018 5.3 −0.1 pp
2017 5.4 −0.1 pp
2016 5.6 −0.2 pp
2015 5.7 −0.2 pp
2014 5.9 −0.2 pp
2013 6 −0.2 pp
2012 6.2 −0.2 pp
2011 6.4 −0.2 pp
2010 6.5 −0.2 pp
2009 6.7 −0.2 pp
2008 6.8 −0.2 pp
2007 7 −0.2 pp
2006 7.2 −0.2 pp
2005 7.3 −0.2 pp
2004 7.5 −0.2 pp
2003 7.6 −0.2 pp
2002 7.8 −0.2 pp
2001 8 −0.2 pp
2000 8.1 −0.2 pp
1999 8.3 −0.2 pp
1998 8.5 −0.2 pp
1997 8.6 −0.2 pp
1996 8.8 −0.2 pp
1995 9.1 −0.2 pp
1994 9.3 −0.2 pp
1993 9.5 −0.3 pp
1992 9.8 −0.3 pp
1991 10 −0.3 pp
1990 10.3 −0.3 pp
1989 10.6 −0.3 pp
1988 10.9 −0.3 pp
1987 11.2 −0.3 pp
1986 11.5 −0.3 pp
1985 11.8 −0.3 pp
1984 12.1 −0.3 pp
1983 12.4 −0.3 pp
1982 12.6 −0.3 pp
1981 12.9 −0.3 pp
1980 13.2

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.