United Kingdom vs United States: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age

United Kingdom
0.6%
in 2019
United States
0.4%
in 2018
United Kingdom rank
93rd
United States rank
95th

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age over time

  • United Kingdom
  • United States
00.511.5199120052019

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 0.6% against 0.4% in United States, a difference of 0.2%.

That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.5 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 6 shared years of data; in 2008 it was United States ahead.

United Kingdom ranks 93rd and United States ranks 95th of 96 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade United Kingdom United States Difference Ahead
2000s 0.6% 0.7% 0.1% United States
2010s 0.6% 0.8% 0.2% United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of underweight, weight for age, United Kingdom or United States?
United Kingdom, at 0.6% against 0.4% in United States as of 2019.
What is the difference in prevalence of underweight, weight for age between United Kingdom and United States?
0.2%, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
6 years are reported by both, from 2008 to 2018.
How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
United Kingdom ranks 93rd and United States ranks 95th 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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United Kingdom vs United States: 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/united-kingdom/united-states/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/united-kingdom/united-states/">United Kingdom vs United States: 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

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.