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

Southern Africa (UNSDG): Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 was 3.92 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
3.92
Change on year
down 2.3%
Rank
108th
of 156 groups
All-time high
11.71
in 2000
All-time low
3.92
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

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

46810122000201120222000: 11.72001: 112002: 10.22003: 9.42004: 8.72005: 8.12006: 7.42007: 6.92008: 6.52009: 62010: 5.72011: 5.42012: 5.12013: 4.92014: 4.82015: 4.62016: 4.52017: 4.42018: 4.32019: 4.22020: 4.12021: 42022: 3.9

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

The most recent figure for percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG) is 3.92, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG) peaked at 11.71 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.92, in 2022.

Southern Africa (UNSDG) ranks 108th 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 Southern Africa (UNSDG), 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 Southern Africa (UNSDG), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 11.71
2001 11 -6.0%
2002 10.2 -7.3%
2003 9.4 -7.8%
2004 8.69 -7.6%
2005 8.07 -7.2%
2006 7.44 -7.7%
2007 6.91 -7.1%
2008 6.46 -6.5%
2009 6.02 -6.9%
2010 5.67 -5.9%
2011 5.39 -4.8%
2012 5.13 -5.0%
2013 4.94 -3.6%
2014 4.76 -3.7%
2015 4.57 -4.0%
2016 4.48 -2.0%
2017 4.39 -2.1%
2018 4.29 -2.1%
2019 4.2 -2.2%
2020 4.1 -2.2%
2021 4.01 -2.2%
2022 3.92 -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.59 6.02 11.71 10
2010s 4.78 4.2 5.67 10
2020s 4.01 3.92 4.1 3

Countries ranked near Southern Africa (UNSDG)

  1. 105 Slovakia 3.56 compare
  2. 106 Kyrgyzstan 3.52 compare
  3. 106 Iraq 3.52 compare
  4. 108 Jordan 3.5 compare
  5. 109 United Arab Emirates 3.44 compare
  6. 110 Sierra Leone 3.41 compare
  7. 111 Russian Federation 3.34 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Southern Africa (UNSDG)

All data for Southern Africa (UNSDG) →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG)?
Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG) was 3.92 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 recorded in Southern Africa (UNSDG)?
The highest recorded value was 11.71 in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 recorded in Southern Africa (UNSDG)?
The lowest recorded value was 3.92 in 2022.
How does Southern Africa (UNSDG) rank for percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2?
Southern Africa (UNSDG) ranks 108th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, bmi < -2 rising or falling in Southern Africa (UNSDG)?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Southern Africa (UNSDG) 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG). 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/southern-africa-unsdg/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-thinness-among-children-aged-5-19-years-bmi-2-standard-deviations-below-the/southern-africa-unsdg/">Percentage of thinness among children aged 5-19 years, BMI < -2 in Southern Africa (UNSDG)</a> — Statizoid

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