Low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): Low birth weight number was 5,356 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
5,356
Change on year
up 0.9%
Rank
7th
of 19 groups
All-time high
5,356
in 2020
All-time low
4,203
in 2000
Years of data
21
2000–2020
Low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region), 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2020, low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region) stood at 5,356. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region) peaked at 5,356 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4,203, in 2000.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4,203 | — |
| 2001 | 4,274 | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 4,338 | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 4,402 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 4,472 | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 4,550 | +1.8% |
| 2006 | 4,620 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 4,686 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 4,768 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 4,822 | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 4,882 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 4,941 | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 4,982 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 5,016 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 5,056 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 5,098 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 5,140 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 5,190 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 5,247 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 5,309 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 5,356 | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4,514 | 4,203 | 4,822 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,086 | 4,882 | 5,309 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,356 | 5,356 | 5,356 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Africa (WHO region)
- 4 Philippines 522.9 compare
- 5 Indonesia 449.6 compare
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 399.2 compare
- 7 United States 303.2 compare
- 8 Brazil 242.4 compare
- 9 Tanzania 219.5 compare
- 10 Mozambique 204.7 compare
More health data for Africa (WHO region)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,261 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,578 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 12,202 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 179,400 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -8.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 160.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 23.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 20,261 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 20,578 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases 179,400 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region)?
- Low birth weight number in Africa (WHO region) was 5,356 in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest low birth weight number recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 5,356 in 2020.
- What is the lowest low birth weight number recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,203 in 2000.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for low birth weight number?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 7th out of 19 groups with data for 2020.
- Is low birth weight number rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Africa (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Low birth weight number (in thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).