Low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Low-birthweight babies was 9.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean, 2000–2020
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 Latin America & Caribbean is 9.6%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 9.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2000.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 16th out of 31 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.2% | — |
| 2001 | 9.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 9.3% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 9.4% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 9.4% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 9.4% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 9.4% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 9.4% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 9.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 9.5% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 9.5% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 9.5% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 9.6% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 9.6% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 9.6% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.3% | 9.2% | 9.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 9.4% | 9.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 9.6% | 9.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 13 Côte d'Ivoire 18.3% compare
- 14 Timor-Leste 18.2% compare
- 15 Sri Lanka 18.0% compare
- 16 Mozambique 17.8% compare
- 17 Senegal 17.2% compare
- 18 Guyana 17.2% compare
- 19 Botswana 16.8% compare
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.033 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Low-birthweight babies in Latin America & Caribbean was 9.6% in 2020, according to UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest low-birthweight babies recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 9.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest low-birthweight babies recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2000.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for low-birthweight babies?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 16th out of 31 groups with data for 2020.
- Is low-birthweight babies rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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).
About this data
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.