Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India

India: Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns was 27.44 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
27.44
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
1st
of 157 countries
All-time high
32.47
in 2000
All-time low
27.44
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India, 2000–2020

01020302000201020202000: 32.52001: 32.32002: 32.12003: 31.82004: 31.62005: 31.32006: 312007: 30.82008: 30.52009: 30.32010: 302011: 29.72012: 29.52013: 29.22014: 28.92015: 28.72016: 28.42017: 28.12018: 27.82019: 27.62020: 27.4

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

India recorded 27.44 for prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India peaked at 32.47 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 27.44, in 2020.

That places India 1st out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 32.47
2001 32.27 -0.6%
2002 32.06 -0.6%
2003 31.83 -0.7%
2004 31.58 -0.8%
2005 31.32 -0.8%
2006 31.05 -0.9%
2007 30.78 -0.9%
2008 30.52 -0.8%
2009 30.25 -0.9%
2010 30 -0.8%
2011 29.74 -0.9%
2012 29.49 -0.9%
2013 29.22 -0.9%
2014 28.95 -0.9%
2015 28.66 -1.0%
2016 28.37 -1.0%
2017 28.09 -1.0%
2018 27.83 -0.9%
2019 27.62 -0.8%
2020 27.44 -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 31.41 30.25 32.47 10
2010s 28.8 27.62 30 10
2020s 27.44 27.44 27.44 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 2 Bangladesh 23.05 compare
  2. 3 Comoros 23.03 compare
  3. 4 Philippines 21.14 compare

See the full ranking of 313 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India?
Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India was 27.44 in 2020, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 32.47 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 27.44 in 2020.
How does India rank for prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns?
India ranks 1st out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birth-weight-among-new-borns/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
313 places, 6,573 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed