Low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region)
Americas (WHO region): Low birth weight number was 1,272 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
1,272
Change on year
down 1.7%
Rank
11th
of 13 groups
All-time high
1,409
in 2000
All-time low
1,272
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020
Low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region), 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region) is 1,272, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region) peaked at 1,409 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1,272, in 2020.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,409 | — |
| 2001 | 1,402 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1,395 | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1,392 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 1,393 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 1,393 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1,396 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1,396 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 1,389 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1,382 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 1,372 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 1,370 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 1,365 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1,360 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 1,363 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 1,358 | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 1,339 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 1,330 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 1,317 | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1,294 | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 1,272 | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,395 | 1,382 | 1,409 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,347 | 1,294 | 1,372 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,272 | 1,272 | 1,272 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Americas (WHO region)
- 8 Brazil 242.4 compare
- 9 Tanzania, United Republic of 219.5 compare
- 10 Mozambique 204.7 compare
- 11 Angola 203.9 compare
- 12 Mexico 199.1 compare
- 13 South Africa 198.8 compare
- 14 Côte d'Ivoire 167.8 compare
More health data for Americas (WHO region)
- Measles - number of reported cases 12,380 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 24,640 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 385 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 72 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases 23 (2025)
- Obesity among adults, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (crude estimate) 35.0% (2024)
- Overweight among adults, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) 68.1% (2024)
- Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard 19.7% (2024)
- Overweight among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +1 standard 39.2% (2024)
- Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) 2.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region)?
- Low birth weight number in Americas (WHO region) was 1,272 in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest low birth weight number recorded in Americas (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 1,409 in 2000.
- What is the lowest low birth weight number recorded in Americas (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,272 in 2020.
- How does Americas (WHO region) rank for low birth weight number?
- Americas (WHO region) ranks 11th out of 13 groups with data for 2020.
- Is low birth weight number rising or falling in Americas (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Americas (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).