Sri Lanka - Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5)

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Sri Lanka was 20.50 as of 2016. Its highest value over the past 29 years was 32.80 in 1987, while its lowest value was 20.50 in 2016.

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:

Year Value
1987 32.80
1993 30.30
1995 29.30
2000 22.90
2007 22.10
2009 21.60
2012 26.10
2016 20.50

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

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Nutrition