Low-birthweight babies in Belgium

Belgium: Low-birthweight babies was 6.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
6.8%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
123rd
of 157 countries
All-time high
7.2%
in 2000
All-time low
6.8%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Low-birthweight babies in Belgium, 2000–2020

024682000201020202000: 7.2 % of births2001: 7.1 % of births2002: 7.1 % of births2003: 7.1 % of births2004: 7.1 % of births2005: 7.1 % of births2006: 7.1 % of births2007: 7 % of births2008: 7 % of births2009: 7 % of births2010: 7 % of births2011: 7 % of births2012: 7 % of births2013: 7 % of births2014: 6.9 % of births2015: 6.9 % of births2016: 6.9 % of births2017: 6.8 % of births2018: 6.8 % of births2019: 6.8 % of births2020: 6.8 % of births

Source: UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of births.

Analysis

The most recent figure for low-birthweight babies in Belgium is 6.8%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, low-birthweight babies in Belgium peaked at 7.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2020.

Belgium ranks 123rd of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Low-birthweight babies in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Low-birthweight babies (% of births) in Belgium, 2000 to 2020.
Year % of births Change
2000 7.2%
2001 7.1% -0.3%
2002 7.1% -0.3%
2003 7.1% -0.3%
2004 7.1% -0.3%
2005 7.1% -0.2%
2006 7.1% -0.1%
2007 7.0% -0.1%
2008 7.0% -0.1%
2009 7.0% -0.1%
2010 7.0% -0.2%
2011 7.0% -0.2%
2012 7.0% -0.3%
2013 7.0% -0.3%
2014 6.9% -0.4%
2015 6.9% -0.4%
2016 6.9% -0.4%
2017 6.8% -0.4%
2018 6.8% -0.4%
2019 6.8% -0.4%
2020 6.8% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.1% 7.0% 7.2% 10
2010s 6.9% 6.8% 7.0% 10
2020s 6.8% 6.8% 6.8% 1

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 120 Chile 6.8% compare
  2. 121 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6.8% compare
  3. 122 Monaco 6.8% compare
  4. 124 Germany 6.7% compare
  5. 125 Canada 6.6% compare
  6. 126 Australia 6.6% compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More health data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is low-birthweight babies in Belgium?
Low-birthweight babies in Belgium was 6.8% in 2020, according to UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
What is the highest low-birthweight babies recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 7.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest low-birthweight babies recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2020.
How does Belgium rank for low-birthweight babies?
Belgium ranks 123rd out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is low-birthweight babies rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Belgium data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Low-birthweight babies (% of births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Low-birthweight babies in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/low-birthweight-babies-percent-of-births/belgium/

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 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/low-birthweight-babies-percent-of-births/belgium/">Low-birthweight babies in Belgium</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Low-birthweight babies (% of births)
Unit
% of births
Source
UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
188 places, 3,948 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

Low-birthweight babies are newborns weighing less than 2,500 grams, with the measurement taken within the first hour of life, before significant postnatal weight loss has occurred.