Low-birthweight babies in Botswana

Botswana: Low-birthweight babies was 16.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
16.8%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
19th
of 157 countries
All-time high
18.2%
in 2003
All-time low
16.8%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Low-birthweight babies in Botswana, 2000–2020

051015202000201020202000: 18.1 % of births2001: 18.1 % of births2002: 18.2 % of births2003: 18.2 % of births2004: 18.2 % of births2005: 18.2 % of births2006: 18.1 % of births2007: 18 % of births2008: 17.9 % of births2009: 17.8 % of births2010: 17.6 % of births2011: 17.4 % of births2012: 17.3 % of births2013: 17.2 % of births2014: 17.1 % of births2015: 17 % of births2016: 17 % of births2017: 17 % of births2018: 16.9 % of births2019: 16.9 % of births2020: 16.8 % of births

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

Analysis

In 2020, low-birthweight babies in Botswana stood at 16.8%. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, low-birthweight babies in Botswana peaked at 18.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 16.8%, in 2020.

That places Botswana 19th out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Low-birthweight babies in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Low-birthweight babies (% of births) in Botswana, 2000 to 2020.
Year % of births Change
2000 18.1%
2001 18.1% +0.2%
2002 18.2% +0.3%
2003 18.2% +0.1%
2004 18.2% -0.0%
2005 18.2% -0.2%
2006 18.1% -0.5%
2007 18.0% -0.5%
2008 17.9% -0.7%
2009 17.8% -0.7%
2010 17.6% -0.8%
2011 17.4% -0.9%
2012 17.3% -0.9%
2013 17.2% -0.7%
2014 17.1% -0.5%
2015 17.0% -0.2%
2016 17.0% -0.3%
2017 17.0% -0.2%
2018 16.9% -0.3%
2019 16.9% -0.3%
2020 16.8% -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18.1% 17.8% 18.2% 10
2010s 17.1% 16.9% 17.6% 10
2020s 16.8% 16.8% 16.8% 1

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 16 Mozambique 17.8% compare
  2. 17 Senegal 17.2% compare
  3. 18 Guyana 17.2% compare
  4. 20 Laos 16.7% compare
  5. 21 South Africa 16.6% compare
  6. 22 Suriname 16.5% compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is low-birthweight babies in Botswana?
Low-birthweight babies in Botswana was 16.8% in 2020, according to UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
What is the highest low-birthweight babies recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 18.2% in 2003.
What is the lowest low-birthweight babies recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 16.8% in 2020.
How does Botswana rank for low-birthweight babies?
Botswana ranks 19th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is low-birthweight babies rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana 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 Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/low-birthweight-babies-percent-of-births/botswana/

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/botswana/">Low-birthweight babies in Botswana</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.