How many years of comparable data are there for Latin America & Caribbean and Nigeria?

8 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.

Where does this data come from?

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., UN Children', published as Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Latin America & Caribbean vs Nigeria: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age

Latin America & Caribbean

2.7%

in 2024

Nigeria

24.4%

in 2021

Latin America & Caribbean rank

10th

Nigeria rank

7th

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age over time

Latin America & Caribbean
Nigeria

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 24.4% against 2.7% in Latin America & Caribbean, a difference of 21.7%.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 8.9 times Latin America & Caribbean's.

Across all 8 years both countries report, Nigeria has been ahead every year.

Latin America & Caribbean ranks 10th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 14 groups.

Nigeria has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Latin America & Caribbean	Nigeria	Difference	Ahead
2000s	4.9%	26.7%	21.8%	Nigeria
2010s	3.6%	23.5%	20.0%	Nigeria
2020s	3.0%	21.4%	18.4%	Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, Latin America & Caribbean or Nigeria?: Nigeria, at 24.4% against 2.7% in Latin America & Caribbean as of 2021.
What is the difference in prevalence of underweight, weight for age between Latin America & Caribbean and Nigeria?: 21.7%, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Latin America & Caribbean and Nigeria?: 8 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Latin America & Caribbean and Nigeria rank globally for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?: Latin America & Caribbean ranks 10th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 14 groups.
Where does this data come from?: 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., UN Children', published as Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Latin America & Caribbean vs Nigeria: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age. Statizoid, drawing on 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., UN Children'. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/latin-america-and-caribbean/nigeria/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/latin-america-and-caribbean/nigeria/">Latin America & Caribbean vs Nigeria: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5)
Unit: % of children under 5
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., UN Children'
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 110 places, 1,307 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed: 17 September 2026

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 2006 Child Growth Standards.