Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Africa (WHO regions)

Africa (WHO regions): Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 was 9.26 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
9.26
Change on year
down 0.1%
Rank
47th
of 156 groups
All-time high
11.01
in 2000
All-time low
9.25
in 2018
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Africa (WHO regions), 2000–2022

02.557.5102000201120222000: 112001: 10.82002: 10.62003: 10.52004: 10.32005: 10.12006: 102007: 9.92008: 9.82009: 9.72010: 9.62011: 9.52012: 9.42013: 9.42014: 9.32015: 9.32016: 9.32017: 9.32018: 9.32019: 9.32020: 9.32021: 9.32022: 9.3

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Africa (WHO regions) recorded 9.26 for percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in 2022.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Africa (WHO regions) peaked at 11.01 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.25, in 2018.

Africa (WHO regions) ranks 47th of 156 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Africa (WHO regions), year by year

Annual values for Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 standard deviations below the median (crude estimate) in Africa (WHO regions), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 11.01
2001 10.82 -1.7%
2002 10.63 -1.8%
2003 10.46 -1.5%
2004 10.28 -1.7%
2005 10.13 -1.5%
2006 9.99 -1.4%
2007 9.85 -1.4%
2008 9.76 -0.9%
2009 9.65 -1.1%
2010 9.56 -0.9%
2011 9.49 -0.7%
2012 9.43 -0.6%
2013 9.37 -0.6%
2014 9.34 -0.3%
2015 9.29 -0.5%
2016 9.26 -0.3%
2017 9.28 +0.2%
2018 9.25 -0.3%
2019 9.26 +0.0%
2020 9.26 +0.0%
2021 9.27 +0.1%
2022 9.26 -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 10.26 9.65 11.01 10
2010s 9.35 9.25 9.56 10
2020s 9.26 9.26 9.27 3

Countries ranked near Africa (WHO regions)

  1. 44 Guinea-Bissau 7.68 compare
  2. 45 Tanzania, United Republic of 7.57 compare
  3. 46 Madagascar 7.36 compare
  4. 47 Congo 7.29 compare
  5. 48 Djibouti 7.24 compare
  6. 49 Somalia 7.14 compare
  7. 50 Uganda 7.06 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Africa (WHO regions)

All data for Africa (WHO regions) →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Africa (WHO regions)?
Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Africa (WHO regions) was 9.26 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 recorded in Africa (WHO regions)?
The highest recorded value was 11.01 in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 recorded in Africa (WHO regions)?
The lowest recorded value was 9.25 in 2018.
How does Africa (WHO regions) rank for percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2?
Africa (WHO regions) ranks 47th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 rising or falling in Africa (WHO regions)?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa (WHO regions) data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 standard deviations below the median (crude estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Africa (WHO regions). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-thinness-among-children-aged-5-19-years-bmi-2-standard-deviations-below-the/africa-who-regions/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 standard deviations below the median (crude estimate)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
349 places, 9,957 data points, 1990–2022
Last refreshed