Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns was 17.98 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
17.98
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
15th
of 157 countries
All-time high
19.35
in 2000
All-time low
17.98
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

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

051015202000201020202000: 19.32001: 19.32002: 19.32003: 19.22004: 19.22005: 19.12006: 192007: 18.92008: 18.92009: 18.82010: 18.72011: 18.62012: 18.52013: 18.42014: 18.32015: 18.32016: 18.22017: 18.12018: 18.12019: 182020: 18

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka is 17.98, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka peaked at 19.35 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.98, in 2020.

Sri Lanka ranks 15th of 157 countries on this measure, 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 Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 19.35
2001 19.32 -0.1%
2002 19.28 -0.2%
2003 19.22 -0.3%
2004 19.16 -0.3%
2005 19.09 -0.4%
2006 19.02 -0.3%
2007 18.94 -0.4%
2008 18.85 -0.5%
2009 18.76 -0.5%
2010 18.66 -0.6%
2011 18.55 -0.6%
2012 18.46 -0.5%
2013 18.38 -0.4%
2014 18.32 -0.4%
2015 18.25 -0.4%
2016 18.19 -0.3%
2017 18.13 -0.3%
2018 18.07 -0.3%
2019 18.02 -0.3%
2020 17.98 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 19.1 18.76 19.35 10
2010s 18.3 18.02 18.66 10
2020s 17.98 17.98 17.98 1

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 12 Burkina Faso 18.47 compare
  2. 13 Côte d'Ivoire 18.29 compare
  3. 14 Timor-Leste 18.21 compare
  4. 16 Mozambique 17.76 compare
  5. 17 Senegal 17.25 compare
  6. 18 Guyana 17.16 compare

See the full ranking of 313 places →

More health data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka?
Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka was 17.98 in 2020, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 19.35 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 17.98 in 2020.
How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns?
Sri Lanka ranks 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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).

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Prevalence of low birth weight among new-borns in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birth-weight-among-new-borns/sri-lanka/

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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