Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) - Country Ranking
Definition: Prevalence of underweight children is the percentage of children under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's child growth standards released in 2006.
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child malnutrition estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology.
See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yemen | 39.90 | 2013 |
| 2 | Eritrea | 39.40 | 2010 |
| 3 | Timor-Leste | 37.50 | 2013 |
| 4 | India | 33.40 | 2017 |
| 5 | Sudan | 33.00 | 2014 |
| 6 | Niger | 31.30 | 2019 |
| 7 | Djibouti | 29.90 | 2012 |
| 8 | Chad | 29.20 | 2019 |
| 9 | Papua New Guinea | 27.80 | 2010 |
| 10 | Burundi | 27.00 | 2019 |
| 11 | Madagascar | 26.40 | 2018 |
| 12 | Nepal | 24.40 | 2019 |
| 13 | Cambodia | 24.10 | 2014 |
| 14 | Pakistan | 23.10 | 2018 |
| 14 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 23.10 | 2017 |
| 16 | Bangladesh | 22.60 | 2019 |
| 17 | Somalia | 22.50 | 2009 |
| 18 | Lao PDR | 21.10 | 2017 |
| 18 | Ethiopia | 21.10 | 2019 |
| 20 | Sri Lanka | 20.50 | 2016 |
| 20 | Central African Republic | 20.50 | 2019 |
| 22 | Mauritania | 19.20 | 2018 |
| 23 | Myanmar | 19.10 | 2018 |
| 23 | Philippines | 19.10 | 2018 |
| 23 | Afghanistan | 19.10 | 2018 |
| 26 | Angola | 19.00 | 2015 |
| 27 | Guinea-Bissau | 18.80 | 2019 |
| 28 | Nigeria | 18.40 | 2020 |
| 29 | Mali | 18.10 | 2019 |
| 30 | Indonesia | 17.70 | 2018 |
| 31 | Comoros | 16.90 | 2012 |
| 32 | Benin | 16.80 | 2018 |
| 33 | Burkina Faso | 16.40 | 2019 |
| 34 | Guinea | 16.30 | 2018 |
| 35 | Solomon Islands | 16.20 | 2015 |
| 36 | Mozambique | 15.60 | 2015 |
| 37 | Togo | 15.20 | 2017 |
| 38 | Tanzania | 14.60 | 2018 |
| 39 | Senegal | 14.40 | 2019 |
| 40 | Malaysia | 14.10 | 2019 |
| 41 | Sierra Leone | 13.50 | 2019 |
| 42 | Vietnam | 13.40 | 2017 |
| 43 | Namibia | 13.20 | 2013 |
| 44 | Mauritius | 13.00 | 1995 |
| 45 | Côte d'Ivoire | 12.80 | 2016 |
| 46 | Bhutan | 12.70 | 2010 |
| 47 | Ghana | 12.60 | 2017 |
| 48 | Guatemala | 12.40 | 2015 |
| 49 | Congo | 12.30 | 2014 |
| 50 | Cabo Verde | 11.80 | 1994 |
| 50 | Botswana | 11.80 | 2007 |
| 50 | Zambia | 11.80 | 2018 |
| 53 | Libya | 11.70 | 2014 |
| 53 | Vanuatu | 11.70 | 2013 |
| 55 | The Gambia | 11.60 | 2020 |
| 56 | Oman | 11.20 | 2017 |
| 56 | Kenya | 11.20 | 2014 |
| 58 | Cameroon | 11.00 | 2018 |
| 59 | Liberia | 10.90 | 2019 |
| 60 | Lesotho | 10.50 | 2018 |
| 61 | Syrian Arab Republic | 10.40 | 2010 |
| 61 | Uganda | 10.40 | 2016 |
| 63 | Zimbabwe | 9.70 | 2019 |
| 64 | Brunei | 9.60 | 2009 |
| 65 | Haiti | 9.50 | 2017 |
| 66 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 9.30 | 2017 |
| 67 | Malawi | 9.00 | 2019 |
| 68 | Guyana | 8.20 | 2014 |
| 69 | Rwanda | 7.70 | 2020 |
| 69 | Thailand | 7.70 | 2019 |
| 71 | Bahrain | 7.60 | 1995 |
| 71 | Tajikistan | 7.60 | 2017 |
| 73 | Honduras | 7.10 | 2012 |
| 74 | Egypt | 7.00 | 2014 |
| 75 | Kiribati | 6.90 | 2018 |
| 76 | Suriname | 6.70 | 2018 |
| 77 | Gabon | 6.40 | 2012 |
| 78 | Eswatini | 5.80 | 2014 |
| 79 | Equatorial Guinea | 5.60 | 2011 |
| 80 | South Africa | 5.50 | 2017 |
| 81 | São Tomé and Principe | 5.40 | 2019 |
| 82 | Saudi Arabia | 5.30 | 2004 |
| 82 | Fiji | 5.30 | 2004 |
| 84 | Ecuador | 5.20 | 2019 |
| 85 | El Salvador | 5.00 | 2014 |
| 86 | Azerbaijan | 4.90 | 2013 |
| 86 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.90 | 2011 |
| 88 | Qatar | 4.80 | 1995 |
| 88 | Nauru | 4.80 | 2007 |
| 90 | Mexico | 4.70 | 2019 |
| 91 | Nicaragua | 4.60 | 2012 |
| 91 | Belize | 4.60 | 2015 |
| 93 | Jamaica | 4.40 | 2016 |
| 94 | Lebanon | 4.20 | 2004 |
| 95 | Iran | 4.10 | 2010 |
| 95 | Ukraine | 4.10 | 2000 |
| 97 | Dominican Republic | 4.00 | 2013 |
| 98 | Iraq | 3.90 | 2018 |
| 99 | Colombia | 3.70 | 2016 |
| 99 | Montenegro | 3.70 | 2018 |
| 101 | Seychelles | 3.60 | 2012 |
| 102 | Romania | 3.50 | 2002 |
| 102 | Barbados | 3.50 | 2012 |
| 104 | Bolivia | 3.40 | 2016 |
| 104 | Samoa | 3.40 | 2019 |
| 104 | Japan | 3.40 | 2010 |
| 107 | Singapore | 3.30 | 2000 |
| 108 | Turkmenistan | 3.10 | 2019 |
| 109 | Panama | 3.00 | 2019 |
| 109 | Jordan | 3.00 | 2012 |
| 109 | Kuwait | 3.00 | 2014 |
| 112 | Costa Rica | 2.90 | 2018 |
| 112 | Uzbekistan | 2.90 | 2017 |
| 112 | Venezuela | 2.90 | 2009 |
| 115 | St. Lucia | 2.80 | 2012 |
| 116 | Algeria | 2.70 | 2019 |
| 117 | Armenia | 2.60 | 2016 |
| 117 | Morocco | 2.60 | 2017 |
| 119 | Cuba | 2.40 | 2019 |
| 119 | Peru | 2.40 | 2019 |
| 119 | China | 2.40 | 2013 |
| 122 | Brazil | 2.20 | 2007 |
| 122 | Moldova | 2.20 | 2012 |
| 124 | Czech Republic | 2.10 | 2001 |
| 124 | Georgia | 2.10 | 2018 |
| 126 | Kazakhstan | 2.00 | 2015 |
| 127 | Bulgaria | 1.90 | 2014 |
| 128 | Kyrgyz Republic | 1.80 | 2018 |
| 128 | Mongolia | 1.80 | 2018 |
| 128 | Uruguay | 1.80 | 2018 |
| 131 | Argentina | 1.70 | 2019 |
| 132 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.60 | 2012 |
| 132 | Tunisia | 1.60 | 2018 |
| 132 | Tuvalu | 1.60 | 2007 |
| 135 | Albania | 1.50 | 2017 |
| 135 | Turkey | 1.50 | 2018 |
| 137 | Paraguay | 1.30 | 2016 |
| 137 | Belarus | 1.30 | 2005 |
| 139 | Belgium | 1.00 | 2014 |
| 139 | Netherlands | 1.00 | 2009 |
| 139 | Serbia | 1.00 | 2019 |
| 142 | North Macedonia | 0.90 | 2019 |
| 143 | Tonga | 0.80 | 2019 |
| 144 | Poland | 0.70 | 2011 |
| 144 | Korea | 0.70 | 2009 |
| 146 | Germany | 0.50 | 2016 |
| 146 | Chile | 0.50 | 2014 |
| 148 | Estonia | 0.40 | 2014 |
| 148 | Portugal | 0.40 | 2016 |
| 148 | United States | 0.40 | 2018 |
| 151 | Australia | 0.20 | 2007 |
| 151 | Greece | 0.20 | 2003 |
More rankings: Africa | Asia | Central America & the Caribbean | Europe | Middle East | North America | Oceania | South America | World |
Aggregation method: Linear mixed-effect model estimates
Periodicity: Annual
General Comments: Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them int
