Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia
Malaysia: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female was 4.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia, 2006–2022
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia is 4.5%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia peaked at 6.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2022.
That places Malaysia 37th out of 85 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 5.5% | — |
| 2015 | 6.5% | +18.2% |
| 2016 | 6.7% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -31.3% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -2.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 4.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 73% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 4.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.9%, 1.2× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.5% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.9% | 4.6% | 6.7% | 3 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % 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 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia?
- Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female in Malaysia was 4.5% in 2022, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
- What is the highest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7% in 2016.
- What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2022.
- How does Malaysia rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female?
- Malaysia ranks 37th out of 85 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of overweight, weight for height, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of overweight, female, is the percentage of girls under age 5 whose weight for height is more than two standard deviations above the median for the international reference population of the corresponding age as established by the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.