Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age was 36.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 36.7% for prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in 2023.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 43.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 2018.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 11th 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 women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.2% | — |
| 2001 | 42.6% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 42.1% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 41.5% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 41.0% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 40.4% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 39.7% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 39.1% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 38.4% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 37.7% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 37.0% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 36.6% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 36.2% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 35.9% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 35.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 35.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 35.6% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 35.6% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 35.6% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 35.6% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 35.9% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 36.2% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 36.7% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.6% | 37.7% | 43.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 35.6% | 37.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.1% | 35.6% | 36.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per capita 0.0617 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0147 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.054 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 36.7% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 43.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 2018.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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 women of reproductive age (% of women ages 15-49). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age refers to the combined prevalence of both non-pregnant with haemoglobin levels below 12 g/dL and pregnant women with haemoglobin levels below 11 g/dL.