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 less than minus two standard deviations from the median of the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards among children under 5 years of age. 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.