Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, Nigeria or World?

Nigeria, at 24.4% against 12.2% in World as of 2021.

How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and World?

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.

Nigeria vs World: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age

Nigeria

24.4%

in 2021

World

12.2%

in 2024

Nigeria rank

7th

World rank

7th

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age over time

Nigeria
World

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 24.4% against 12.2% in World, a difference of 12.2%.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 2.0 times World's.

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

Nigeria ranks 7th and World ranks 7th of 96 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade	Nigeria	World	Difference	Ahead
2000s	26.7%	19.7%	7.0%	Nigeria
2010s	23.5%	14.5%	9.0%	Nigeria
2020s	21.4%	12.8%	8.6%	Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, Nigeria or World?: Nigeria, at 24.4% against 12.2% in World as of 2021.
What is the difference in prevalence of underweight, weight for age between Nigeria and World?: 12.2%, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and World?: 8 years are reported by both, from 2003 to 2021.
How do Nigeria and World rank globally for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?: Nigeria ranks 7th and World ranks 7th 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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Nigeria vs World: 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 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/nigeria/world/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/nigeria/world/">Nigeria vs World: 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.