Malawi vs Zambia: Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate)

Malawi
8.0%
in 2024
Zambia
8.2%
in 2024
Malawi rank
49th
Zambia rank
47th

Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) over time

  • Malawi
  • Zambia
051015198020022024

How they compare

Zambia currently reports 8.2% against 8.0% in Malawi, a difference of 0.2%.

Across all 45 years both countries report, Zambia has been ahead every year.

Malawi ranks 49th and Zambia ranks 47th of 198 countries.

Zambia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi Zambia Difference Ahead
1980s 14.9% 15.8% 0.9% Zambia
1990s 12.7% 14.2% 1.5% Zambia
2000s 10.5% 12.3% 1.8% Zambia
2010s 8.7% 9.8% 1.1% Zambia
2020s 8.1% 8.5% 0.4% Zambia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate), Malawi or Zambia?
Zambia, at 8.2% against 8.0% in Malawi as of 2024.
What is the difference in underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) between Malawi and Zambia?
0.2%, with Zambia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Zambia?
45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
How do Malawi and Zambia rank globally for underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate)?
Malawi ranks 49th and Zambia ranks 47th of 198 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Malawi vs Zambia: Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate). Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate-percent/malawi/zambia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate-percent/malawi/zambia/">Malawi vs Zambia: Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
211 places, 9,495 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed