Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, Niger or Sub-Saharan Africa?

Niger, at 34.6% against 15.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2022.

How many years of comparable data are there for Niger and Sub-Saharan Africa?

17 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.

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.

Niger vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age

Niger

34.6%

in 2022

Sub-Saharan Africa

15.7%

in 2024

Niger rank

2nd

Sub-Saharan Africa rank

4th

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age over time

Niger
Sub-Saharan Africa

How they compare

Niger currently reports 34.6% against 15.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 18.9%.

That makes Niger's figure about 2.2 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.

Across all 17 years both countries report, Niger has been ahead every year.

Niger ranks 2nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th of 96 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Niger	Sub-Saharan Africa	Difference	Ahead
2000s	36.9%	22.3%	14.6%	Niger
2010s	34.7%	19.1%	15.6%	Niger
2020s	33.7%	16.7%	17.0%	Niger

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, Niger or Sub-Saharan Africa?: Niger, at 34.6% against 15.7% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in prevalence of underweight, weight for age between Niger and Sub-Saharan Africa?: 18.9%, with Niger ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Niger and Sub-Saharan Africa?: 17 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
How do Niger and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?: Niger ranks 2nd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th of 96 countries.
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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Niger vs Sub-Saharan Africa: 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/niger/sub-saharan-africa/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/niger/sub-saharan-africa/">Niger vs Sub-Saharan Africa: 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.