Children under the age of 5 years underweight

This entry gives the percent of children under five considered to be underweight. Underweight means weight-for-age is approximately 2 kg below for standard at age one, 3 kg below standard for ages two and three, and 4 kg below standard for ages four and five. This statistic is an indicator of the nutritional status of a community. Children who suffer from growth retardation as a result of poor diets and/or recurrent infections tend to have a greater risk of suffering illness and death.

Country Comparison Ranking

• Afghanistan

  19.1% (2018)

• Akrotiri

  NA

• Albania

  1.5% (2017/18)

• Algeria

  2.7% (2018/19)

• American Samoa

  NA

• Andorra

  NA

• Angola

  19% (2015/16)

• Anguilla

  NA

• Antigua and Barbuda

  NA

• Argentina

  1.7% (2018/19)

• Armenia

  2.6% (2015/16)

• Aruba

  NA

• Ashmore and Cartier Islands

  NA

• Australia

  NA

• Austria

  NA

• Azerbaijan

  4.9% (2013)

• Bahamas, The

  NA

• Bahrain

  NA

• Bangladesh

  22.6% (2019)

• Barbados

  3.5% (2012)

• Belarus

  NA

• Belgium

  1% (2014/15)

• Belize

  4.6% (2015/16)

• Benin

  16.8% (2017/18)

• Bermuda

  NA

• Bhutan

  NA

• Bolivia

  3.4% (2016)

• Bosnia and Herzegovina

  1.6% (2012)

• Botswana

  NA

• Bouvet Island

  NA

• Brazil

  NA

• British Indian Ocean Territory

  NA

• British Virgin Islands

  NA

• Brunei

  NA

• Bulgaria

  1.9% (2014)

• Burkina Faso

  16.4% (2019)

• Burma

  19.1% (2017/18)

• Burundi

  27% (2018/19)

• Cabo Verde

  NA

• Cambodia

  24.1% (2014)

• Cameroon

  11% (2018/19)

• Canada

  NA

• Cayman Islands

  NA

• Central African Republic

  20.5% (2019)

• Chad

  29.2% (2019)

• Chile

  0.5% (2014)

• China

  2.4% (2013)

• Christmas Island

  NA

• Clipperton Island

  NA

• Cocos (Keeling) Islands

  NA

• Colombia

  3.7% (2015/16)

• Comoros

  16.9% (2012)

• Congo, Democratic Republic of the

  23.1% (2017/18)

• Congo, Republic of the

  12.3% (2014/15)

• Cook Islands

  NA

• Coral Sea Islands

  NA

• Costa Rica

  2.9% (2018)

• Cote d'Ivoire

  12.8% (2016)

• Croatia

  NA

• Cuba

  2.4% (2019)

• Curacao

  NA

• Cyprus

  NA

• Czechia

  NA

• Denmark

  NA

• Dhekelia

  NA

• Djibouti

  29.9% (2012)

• Dominica

  NA

• Dominican Republic

  4% (2013)

• Ecuador

  5.2% (2018/19)

• Egypt

  7% (2014)

• El Salvador

  5% (2014)

• Equatorial Guinea

  5.6% (2011)

• Eritrea

  NA

• Estonia

  0.4% (2013/15)

• Eswatini

  5.8% (2014)

• Ethiopia

  21.1% (2019)

• European Union

  NA

• Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

  NA

• Faroe Islands

  NA

• Fiji

  NA

• Finland

  NA

• France

  NA

• French Polynesia

  NA

• French Southern and Antarctic Lands

  NA

• Gabon

  6.4% (2012)

• Gambia, The

  11.6% (2019/20)

• Gaza Strip

  2.1% (2019/20)
  
  note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

• Georgia

  2.1% (2018)

• Germany

  0.5% (2014/17)

• Ghana

  12.6% (2017/18)

• Gibraltar

  NA

• Greece

  NA

• Greenland

  NA

• Grenada

  NA

• Guam

  NA

• Guatemala

  12.4% (2014/15)

• Guernsey

  NA

• Guinea

  16.3% (2018)

• Guinea-Bissau

  18.8% (2019)

• Guyana

  8.2% (2014)

• Haiti

  9.5% (2016/17)

• Heard Island and McDonald Islands

  NA

• Holy See (Vatican City)

  NA

• Honduras

  7.1% (2011/12)

• Hong Kong

  NA

• Hungary

  NA

• Iceland

  NA

• India

  33.4% (2016/18)

• Indonesia

  17.7% (2018)

• Iran

  4.1% (2010/11)

• Iraq

  3.9% (2018)

• Ireland

  NA

• Isle of Man

  NA

• Israel

  NA

• Italy

  NA

• Jamaica

  4.4% (2016)

• Jan Mayen

  NA

• Japan

  NA

• Jersey

  NA

• Jordan

  3% (2012)

• Kazakhstan

  2% (2015)

• Kenya

  11.2% (2014)

• Kiribati

  6.9% (2018/19)

• Korea, North

  9.3% (2017)

• Korea, South

  NA

• Kosovo

  NA

• Kuwait

  3% (2014)

• Kyrgyzstan

  1.8% (2018)

• Laos

  21.1% (2017)

• Latvia

  NA

• Lebanon

  NA

• Lesotho

  10.5% (2018)

• Liberia

  10.9% (2019/20)

• Libya

  11.7% (2014)

• Liechtenstein

  NA

• Lithuania

  NA

• Luxembourg

  NA

• Macau

  NA

• Madagascar

  26.4% (2018)

• Malawi

  9% (2019)

• Malaysia

  14.1% (2019)

• Maldives

  14.8% (2016/17)

• Mali

  18.1% (2019)

• Malta

  NA

• Marshall Islands

  11.9% (2017)

• Mauritania

  19.2% (2018)

• Mauritius

  NA

• Mexico

  4.7% (2018/19)

• Micronesia, Federated States of

  NA

• Moldova

  2.2% (2012)

• Monaco

  NA

• Mongolia

  1.8% (2018)

• Montenegro

  3.7% (2018/19)

• Montserrat

  NA

• Morocco

  2.6% (2017/18)
  
  note: does not include data from the former Western Sahara

• Mozambique

  15.6% (2014/15)

• Namibia

  13.2% (2013)

• Nauru

  NA

• Navassa Island

  NA

• Nepal

  24.4% (2019)

• Netherlands

  NA

• New Caledonia

  NA

• New Zealand

  NA

• Nicaragua

  4.6% (2011/12)

• Niger

  31.3% (2019)

• Nigeria

  18.4% (2019/20)

• Niue

  NA

• Norfolk Island

  NA

• North Macedonia

  0.9% (2018/19)

• Northern Mariana Islands

  NA

• Norway

  NA

• Oman

  11.2% (2016/17)

• Pakistan

  23.1% (2017/18)

• Palau

  NA

• Panama

  3% (2019)

• Papua New Guinea

  27.8% (2009/11)

• Paracel Islands

  NA

• Paraguay

  1.3% (2016)

• Peru

  2.4% (2019)

• Philippines

  19.1% (2018)

• Pitcairn Islands

  NA

• Poland

  0.7% (2010/12)

• Portugal

  0.4% (2015/16)

• Puerto Rico

  NA

• Qatar

  NA

• Romania

  NA

• Russia

  NA

• Rwanda

  7.7% (2019/20)

• Saint Barthelemy

  NA

• Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha

  NA

• Saint Kitts and Nevis

  NA

• Saint Lucia

  2.8% (2012)

• Saint Martin

  NA

• Saint Pierre and Miquelon

  NA

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  NA

• Samoa

  3.4% (2019/20)

• San Marino

  NA

• Sao Tome and Principe

  5.4% (2019)

• Saudi Arabia

  NA

• Senegal

  14.4% (2019)

• Serbia

  1% (2019)

• Seychelles

  3.6% (2012)

• Sierra Leone

  13.5% (2019)

• Singapore

  NA

• Sint Maarten

  NA

• Slovakia

  NA

• Slovenia

  NA

• Solomon Islands

  16.2% (2015)

• Somalia

  23% (2009)

• South Africa

  5.5% (2017)

• South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

  NA

• South Sudan

  NA

• Spain

  NA

• Spratly Islands

  NA

• Sri Lanka

  20.5% (2016)

• Sudan

  33% (2014)

• Suriname

  6.7% (2018)

• Svalbard

  NA

• Sweden

  NA

• Switzerland

  NA

• Syria

  NA

• Taiwan

  NA

• Tajikistan

  7.6% (2017)

• Tanzania

  14.6% (2018)

• Thailand

  7.7% (2019)

• Timor-Leste

  37.5% (2013)

• Togo

  15.2% (2017)

• Tokelau

  NA

• Tonga

  0.8% (2019)

• Trinidad and Tobago

  4.9% (2011)

• Tunisia

  1.6% (2018)

• Turkey

  1.5% (2018/19)

• Turkmenistan

  3.1% (2019)

• Turks and Caicos Islands

  NA

• Tuvalu

  NA

• Uganda

  10.4% (2016)

• Ukraine

  NA

• United Arab Emirates

  NA

• United Kingdom

  NA

• United States

  0.4% (2017/18)

• United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

  NA

• Uruguay

  1.8% (2018)

• Uzbekistan

  2.9% (2017)

• Vanuatu

  11.7% (2013)

• Venezuela

  NA

• Vietnam

  13.4% (2017)

• Virgin Islands

  NA

• Wake Island

  NA

• Wallis and Futuna

  NA

• West Bank

  2.1% (2019/20)
  
  note: estimate is for Gaza Strip and the West Bank

• World

  NA

• Yemen

  39.9% (2013)

• Zambia

  11.8% (2018/19)

• Zimbabwe

  9.7% (2019)