Low-birthweight babies in World
World: Low-birthweight babies was 14.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Low-birthweight babies in World, 2000–2020
Source: UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of births.
Analysis
World recorded 14.7% for low-birthweight babies in 2020.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, low-birthweight babies in World peaked at 16.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2017.
That places World 10th out of 29 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Low-birthweight babies in World, year by year
| Year | % of births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.6% | — |
| 2001 | 16.6% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 16.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 16.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 15.9% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 15.7% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 15.5% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 15.4% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 15.3% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 15.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.0% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 15.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 14.8% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 14.6% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 14.6% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.1% | 15.4% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 14.5% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.7% | 14.7% | 14.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near World
- 7 Guinea-Bissau 19.5% compare
- 8 Papua New Guinea 19.4% compare
- 9 Jordan 18.9% compare
- 10 Madagascar 18.7% compare
- 11 Mauritius 18.7% compare
- 12 Burkina Faso 18.5% compare
- 13 Côte d'Ivoire 18.3% compare
More health data for World
- Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 6.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0108 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 6.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0084 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, annual growth rate 2.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0126 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 3.06 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is low-birthweight babies in World?
- Low-birthweight babies in World was 14.7% in 2020, according to UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest low-birthweight babies recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest low-birthweight babies recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2017.
- How does World rank for low-birthweight babies?
- World ranks 10th out of 29 groups with data for 2020.
- Is low-birthweight babies rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.