Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5) - Country Ranking
Definition: Prevalence of underweight, female, is the percentage of girls 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 new child growth standards released in 2006.
Source: World Health Organization, Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition. Country-level data are unadjusted data from national surveys, and thus may not be comparable across countries.
See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison
| Rank | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrea | 39.90 | 2010 |
| 2 | Yemen | 39.00 | 2013 |
| 3 | Timor-Leste | 36.10 | 2013 |
| 4 | India | 34.40 | 2017 |
| 5 | Sudan | 31.50 | 2014 |
| 6 | Niger | 29.30 | 2019 |
| 7 | Djibouti | 28.70 | 2012 |
| 8 | Chad | 26.90 | 2019 |
| 9 | Papua New Guinea | 26.60 | 2010 |
| 10 | Burundi | 25.10 | 2019 |
| 11 | Cambodia | 25.00 | 2014 |
| 12 | Madagascar | 24.20 | 2018 |
| 13 | Nepal | 23.90 | 2019 |
| 14 | Bangladesh | 22.90 | 2019 |
| 15 | Pakistan | 22.10 | 2018 |
| 16 | Philippines | 21.30 | 2015 |
| 17 | Somalia | 20.70 | 2009 |
| 18 | Lao PDR | 20.60 | 2017 |
| 19 | Sri Lanka | 20.40 | 2016 |
| 19 | Dem. Rep. Congo | 20.40 | 2017 |
| 21 | Myanmar | 19.50 | 2018 |
| 22 | Central African Republic | 19.30 | 2019 |
| 23 | Ethiopia | 19.00 | 2019 |
| 24 | Afghanistan | 18.70 | 2018 |
| 25 | Guinea-Bissau | 17.40 | 2019 |
| 26 | Angola | 17.10 | 2015 |
| 26 | Mauritania | 17.10 | 2018 |
| 28 | Indonesia | 16.60 | 2018 |
| 28 | Comoros | 16.60 | 2012 |
| 30 | Solomon Islands | 16.10 | 2015 |
| 31 | Mali | 15.90 | 2019 |
| 32 | Benin | 15.80 | 2018 |
| 33 | Nigeria | 15.00 | 2020 |
| 34 | Guinea | 14.90 | 2018 |
| 35 | Mozambique | 14.60 | 2015 |
| 36 | Burkina Faso | 14.50 | 2019 |
| 37 | Togo | 14.30 | 2017 |
| 38 | Tanzania | 13.50 | 2018 |
| 39 | Sierra Leone | 12.80 | 2019 |
| 40 | Senegal | 12.70 | 2019 |
| 41 | Malaysia | 12.60 | 2019 |
| 42 | Guatemala | 12.10 | 2015 |
| 43 | Bhutan | 12.00 | 2010 |
| 44 | Côte d'Ivoire | 11.60 | 2016 |
| 45 | Oman | 11.40 | 2017 |
| 45 | Namibia | 11.40 | 2013 |
| 45 | Vietnam | 11.40 | 2010 |
| 48 | Botswana | 11.20 | 2007 |
| 48 | Congo | 11.20 | 2014 |
| 50 | Ghana | 11.00 | 2017 |
| 51 | Libya | 10.50 | 2014 |
| 52 | The Gambia | 10.40 | 2020 |
| 52 | Liberia | 10.40 | 2019 |
| 54 | Vanuatu | 10.30 | 2013 |
| 55 | Zambia | 10.20 | 2018 |
| 56 | Kenya | 10.00 | 2014 |
| 57 | Cameroon | 9.90 | 2018 |
| 58 | Uganda | 9.40 | 2016 |
| 59 | Lesotho | 9.10 | 2018 |
| 60 | Zimbabwe | 9.00 | 2019 |
| 61 | Syrian Arab Republic | 8.90 | 2010 |
| 61 | Dem. People's Rep. Korea | 8.90 | 2017 |
| 63 | Brunei | 8.50 | 2009 |
| 64 | Haiti | 8.30 | 2017 |
| 65 | Malawi | 8.20 | 2019 |
| 66 | Guyana | 7.00 | 2014 |
| 66 | Tajikistan | 7.00 | 2017 |
| 68 | Thailand | 6.60 | 2019 |
| 69 | Honduras | 6.50 | 2012 |
| 70 | Rwanda | 6.30 | 2020 |
| 71 | Egypt | 6.20 | 2014 |
| 72 | Kiribati | 5.80 | 2018 |
| 73 | Fiji | 5.70 | 2004 |
| 73 | Suriname | 5.70 | 2018 |
| 75 | Mexico | 5.30 | 2019 |
| 76 | Equatorial Guinea | 5.20 | 2011 |
| 77 | Azerbaijan | 4.90 | 2013 |
| 78 | Barbados | 4.70 | 2012 |
| 78 | São Tomé and Principe | 4.70 | 2019 |
| 80 | Gabon | 4.60 | 2012 |
| 81 | Saudi Arabia | 4.50 | 2004 |
| 81 | El Salvador | 4.50 | 2014 |
| 83 | Eswatini | 4.30 | 2014 |
| 83 | Nicaragua | 4.30 | 2012 |
| 85 | Ecuador | 4.20 | 2019 |
| 85 | South Africa | 4.20 | 2017 |
| 85 | Iran | 4.20 | 2010 |
| 88 | Dominican Republic | 4.10 | 2013 |
| 88 | Belize | 4.10 | 2015 |
| 90 | Iraq | 4.00 | 2018 |
| 91 | Jamaica | 3.90 | 2016 |
| 92 | Trinidad and Tobago | 3.80 | 2011 |
| 93 | Montenegro | 3.60 | 2018 |
| 94 | Ukraine | 3.50 | 2000 |
| 94 | Colombia | 3.50 | 2016 |
| 96 | Samoa | 3.40 | 2019 |
| 97 | Japan | 3.30 | 2010 |
| 98 | Costa Rica | 3.20 | 2018 |
| 99 | Georgia | 3.10 | 2018 |
| 99 | Seychelles | 3.10 | 2012 |
| 101 | Romania | 2.90 | 2002 |
| 101 | Nauru | 2.90 | 2007 |
| 101 | Bolivia | 2.90 | 2016 |
| 104 | Lebanon | 2.80 | 2004 |
| 105 | Uzbekistan | 2.70 | 2017 |
| 106 | Turkmenistan | 2.60 | 2019 |
| 106 | Jordan | 2.60 | 2012 |
| 106 | Panama | 2.60 | 2019 |
| 106 | Kuwait | 2.60 | 2014 |
| 110 | Morocco | 2.50 | 2017 |
| 110 | Cuba | 2.50 | 2019 |
| 112 | Algeria | 2.40 | 2019 |
| 113 | China | 2.20 | 2013 |
| 113 | Brazil | 2.20 | 2007 |
| 113 | Moldova | 2.20 | 2012 |
| 113 | Peru | 2.20 | 2019 |
| 117 | Belgium | 2.10 | 2014 |
| 118 | Armenia | 2.00 | 2016 |
| 118 | Kazakhstan | 2.00 | 2015 |
| 120 | Czech Republic | 1.70 | 2001 |
| 120 | Turkey | 1.70 | 2018 |
| 120 | Mongolia | 1.70 | 2018 |
| 123 | Kyrgyz Republic | 1.60 | 2018 |
| 123 | St. Lucia | 1.60 | 2012 |
| 125 | Bulgaria | 1.40 | 2014 |
| 126 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.30 | 2012 |
| 126 | Uruguay | 1.30 | 2018 |
| 126 | Tunisia | 1.30 | 2018 |
| 129 | Tuvalu | 1.20 | 2007 |
| 129 | Paraguay | 1.20 | 2016 |
| 129 | Albania | 1.20 | 2017 |
| 132 | North Macedonia | 1.10 | 2019 |
| 133 | Belarus | 1.00 | 2005 |
| 134 | Argentina | 0.80 | 2019 |
| 135 | Netherlands | 0.70 | 2009 |
| 136 | Korea | 0.60 | 2003 |
| 136 | Portugal | 0.60 | 2016 |
| 136 | Estonia | 0.60 | 2014 |
| 136 | Poland | 0.60 | 2011 |
| 140 | Tonga | 0.50 | 2019 |
| 141 | Serbia | 0.40 | 2019 |
| 141 | Chile | 0.40 | 2014 |
| 143 | United States | 0.30 | 2018 |
| 144 | Germany | 0.20 | 2016 |
| 144 | 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
