Low birth weight prevalence in United States of America

United States of America: Low birth weight prevalence was 8.3% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
8.3%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
99th
of 157 countries
All-time high
8.3%
in 2020
All-time low
7.9%
in 2000
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Low birth weight prevalence in United States of America, 2000–2020

024682000201020202000: 7.92001: 7.92002: 7.92003: 7.92004: 7.92005: 82006: 82007: 82008: 8.12009: 8.12010: 8.12011: 8.12012: 8.22013: 8.22014: 8.22015: 8.22016: 8.22017: 8.22018: 8.22019: 8.22020: 8.3

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2020, low birth weight prevalence in United States of America stood at 8.3%. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, low birth weight prevalence in United States of America peaked at 8.3% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2000.

That places United States of America 99th out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Low birth weight prevalence in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Low birth weight prevalence (%) in United States of America, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 7.9%
2001 7.9% +0.0%
2002 7.9% +0.0%
2003 7.9% +0.0%
2004 7.9% +0.0%
2005 8.0% +1.3%
2006 8.0% +0.0%
2007 8.0% +0.0%
2008 8.1% +1.2%
2009 8.1% +0.0%
2010 8.1% +0.0%
2011 8.1% +0.0%
2012 8.2% +1.2%
2013 8.2% +0.0%
2014 8.2% +0.0%
2015 8.2% +0.0%
2016 8.2% +0.0%
2017 8.2% +0.0%
2018 8.2% +0.0%
2019 8.2% +0.0%
2020 8.3% +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.0% 7.9% 8.1% 10
2010s 8.2% 8.1% 8.2% 10
2020s 8.3% 8.3% 8.3% 1

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 96 Tajikistan 8.7% compare
  2. 96 Brazil 8.7% compare
  3. 96 Costa Rica 8.7% compare
  4. 99 North Macedonia 8.3% compare
  5. 99 Armenia 8.3% compare
  6. 99 Hungary 8.3% compare

See the full ranking of 208 places →

More health data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is low birth weight prevalence in United States of America?
Low birth weight prevalence in United States of America was 8.3% in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest low birth weight prevalence recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 8.3% in 2020.
What is the lowest low birth weight prevalence recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2000.
How does United States of America rank for low birth weight prevalence?
United States of America ranks 99th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is low birth weight prevalence rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America 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.

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Low birth weight prevalence in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/low-birth-weight-prevalence-percent/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Low birth weight prevalence (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
208 places, 4,368 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed