Low birth weight prevalence in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): Low birth weight prevalence was 13.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
13.7%
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
8th
of 13 groups
All-time high
15.5%
in 2000
All-time low
13.7%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020
Low birth weight prevalence in Africa (WHO region), 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Africa (WHO region) recorded 13.7% for low birth weight prevalence in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low birth weight prevalence in Africa (WHO region) peaked at 15.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2020.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Low birth weight prevalence in Africa (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.5% | — |
| 2001 | 15.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 15.3% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 15.1% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 15.0% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 14.6% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 14.5% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 14.4% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 13.8% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 13.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.1% | 14.6% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.1% | 13.8% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.7% | 13.7% | 13.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Africa (WHO region)
- 5 Liberia 19.9% compare
- 6 Nepal 19.7% compare
- 7 Guinea-Bissau 19.5% compare
- 8 Papua New Guinea 19.4% compare
- 9 Jordan 18.9% compare
- 10 Madagascar 18.7% compare
- 10 Mauritius 18.7% 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 prevalence in Africa (WHO region)?
- Low birth weight prevalence in Africa (WHO region) was 13.7% in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest low birth weight prevalence recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 15.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest low birth weight prevalence recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2020.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for low birth weight prevalence?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 8th out of 13 groups with data for 2020.
- Is low birth weight prevalence rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 prevalence (%). 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).