Prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of anemia among children was 55.1% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi, 2000–2019
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of children ages 6-59 months.
Analysis
In 2019, prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi stood at 55.1%. That is the lowest value across all 20 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi peaked at 76.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 55.1%, in 2019.
That places Malawi 30th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of children ages 6-59 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 76.4% | — |
| 2001 | 75.3% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 74.0% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 72.5% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 71.2% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 69.9% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 68.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 68.0% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 67.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 65.9% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 64.8% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 63.4% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 61.7% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 60.0% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 58.6% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 57.6% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 56.8% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 56.2% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 55.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 55.1% | -0.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 55.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 58.0%, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 55.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.4%, 94% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 70.9% | 65.9% | 76.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.0% | 55.1% | 64.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi?
- Prevalence of anemia among children in Malawi was 55.1% in 2019, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia among children recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 76.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia among children recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.1% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of anemia among children?
- Malawi ranks 30th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of anemia among children rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of anemia, children ages 6-59 months, is the percentage of children ages 6-59 months whose hemoglobin level is less than 110 grams per liter, adjusted for altitude.