Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 43.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 43.1% for prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in 2023.
The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 48.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 42.7%, in 2021.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 48.7% | — |
| 2001 | 48.3% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 48.0% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 47.5% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 47.1% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 46.6% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 46.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 45.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 45.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 44.7% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 44.3% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 44.0% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 43.8% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 43.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 43.5% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 43.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 43.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 43.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 43.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 42.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 42.8% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 42.7% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 42.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 43.1% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.8% | 44.7% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.5% | 42.8% | 44.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.9% | 42.7% | 43.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 Niger 55.9% compare
- 5 Gabon 54.8% compare
- 6 Mozambique 54.6% compare
- 7 Gambia 54.1% compare
- 8 Mauritania 53.9% compare
- 9 Sierra Leone 53.7% compare
- 10 Somalia 52.8% compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa was 43.1% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia among pregnant women recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia among pregnant women recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.7% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of anemia among pregnant women?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of anemia among pregnant women rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 pregnant women (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of anemia, pregnant women, is the percentage of pregnant women whose hemoglobin level is less than 110 grams per liter at sea level.