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
Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in India, 2000–2020
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
| 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% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 27.44 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.6, 2.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- India's 27.44 is above the median for South Asia, which is 18.85, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 2 Bangladesh 23.05 compare
- 3 Comoros 23.03 compare
- 4 Philippines 21.14 compare
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 44,822 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
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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CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).