Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar

Madagascar: Prevalence of overweight, weight for height was 1.9% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
1.9%
Change on year
up 35.7%
World rank
78th
of 93 countries
All-time high
6.2%
in 2004
All-time low
1.0%
in 2011
Years of data
7
1992–2021

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar, 1992–2021

02461992200620211992: 1.6 % of children under 51997: 2.9 % of children under 52004: 6.2 % of children under 52011: 1 % of children under 52012: 1.1 % of children under 52018: 1.4 % of children under 52021: 1.9 % of children under 5

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

In 2021, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar stood at 1.9%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 35.7% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar peaked at 6.2% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2011.

That places Madagascar 78th out of 93 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5) in Madagascar, 1992 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1992 1.6%
1997 2.9% +81.2%
2004 6.2% +113.8%
2011 1.0% -83.9%
2012 1.1% +10.0%
2018 1.4% +27.3%
2021 1.9% +35.7%

Madagascar compared with similar countries

  • Madagascar's 1.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.2%, 86% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Madagascar's 1.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.9%, 66% of the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.2% 1.6% 2.9% 2
2000s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
2010s 1.2% 1.0% 1.4% 3
2020s 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 76 Gambia 2.1% compare
  2. 77 Ghana 2.0% compare
  3. 79 Bangladesh 1.6% compare
  4. 80 Burkina Faso 1.5% compare
  5. 80 Burundi 1.5% compare
  6. 80 Central African Republic 1.5% compare
  7. 80 Nigeria 1.5% compare
  8. 80 Togo 1.5% compare
  9. 80 Yemen 1.5% compare

See the full ranking of 93 places →

More health data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar?
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar was 1.9% in 2021, 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 recorded in Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was 6.2% in 2004.
What is the lowest prevalence of overweight, weight for height recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2011.
How does Madagascar rank for prevalence of overweight, weight for height?
Madagascar ranks 78th out of 93 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of overweight, weight for height rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Madagascar 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 (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of overweight, weight for height in Madagascar. Statizoid, drawing on 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'. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-overweight-weight-for-height-percent-of-children-under-5/madagascar/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of overweight, weight for height (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
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'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
93 places, 858 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of overweight children is the percentage of children 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.