Statizoid

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) by country

Countries reporting
193
Highest
33.4
Eritrea
Lowest
0.27
Tonga
Median
3.49
Years covered
33
1990–2022
Data points
9,955

What the numbers show

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) is currently reported for 193 countries. The highest value is 33.4 in Eritrea; the lowest is 0.27 in Tonga.

The median across all reporting countries is 3.49, and the mean is 5.54.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 124.

Over the past decade 47 countries rose and 146 fell. The largest increase was in Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of (up 39.3%), and the largest decrease in Maldives (down 52.7%).

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Eritrea 33.4 2022 down 1.9% falling
2 Ethiopia 24.09 2022 down 6.0% falling
3 Central African Republic 21.33 2022 down 1.0% flat
4 Timor-Leste 20.72 2022 down 12.9% falling
5 Senegal 19.34 2022 up 3.0% falling
6 Niger 19.03 2022 up 4.9% falling
7 Somalia 19 2022 down 0.4% falling
8 Madagascar 17.37 2022 down 7.9% falling
9 South Sudan 17.1 2022 down 0.7% falling
10 Sudan 16.09 2022 down 0.5% falling
11 Chad 16 2022 down 8.8% falling
12 Burundi 15.91 2022 up 0.8% falling
13 India 13.86 2022 down 39.1% falling
14 Myanmar 13.82 2022 down 26.3% falling
15 Congo 13.63 2022 down 6.7% falling
16 Yemen 13.58 2022 down 3.6% falling
17 Haiti 13.23 2022 down 0.5% falling
18 Namibia 13.11 2022 down 14.6% falling
19 Sri Lanka 12.93 2022 down 29.8% falling
20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 12.84 2022 down 25.5% falling
21 Bangladesh 12.73 2022 down 44.8% falling
22 Djibouti 12.57 2022 down 6.5% falling
23 Botswana 12.55 2022 down 15.7% falling
24 Kenya 11.81 2022 down 6.1% falling
25 Viet Nam 11.75 2022 down 40.7% falling
26 Gambia 11.53 2022 down 16.3% falling
27 Uganda 11.48 2022 up 2.8% falling
28 Burkina Faso 11.26 2022 down 10.4% falling
29 Cambodia 11.15 2022 down 23.8% falling
30 Tanzania, United Republic of 10.53 2022 down 7.0% falling
31 Mozambique 10.03 2022 down 9.5% falling
32 Nepal 9.93 2022 down 38.2% falling
33 Philippines 9.87 2022 down 18.4% falling
34 Angola 9.81 2022 down 13.8% falling
35 Guinea 9.79 2022 down 14.8% falling
36 Nigeria 9.61 2022 down 1.4% falling
37 Guinea-Bissau 9.4 2022 down 10.7% falling
38 Korea, Democratic People&#x27;s Republic of 9.34 2022 down 27.3% falling
39 Mali 9.28 2022 down 10.9% falling
40 Equatorial Guinea 9.01 2022 down 15.2% falling
41 Japan 8.93 2022 up 1.8% rising
42 Indonesia 8.73 2022 down 33.2% falling
43 Rwanda 8.59 2022 down 5.1% falling
44 Mauritania 8.54 2022 down 13.8% falling
45 Pakistan 8.4 2022 down 38.7% falling
46 Lao People's Democratic Republic 8.11 2022 down 27.0% falling
47 Zambia 8.05 2022 down 24.4% falling
48 Benin 7.97 2022 down 9.7% falling
49 Côte d'Ivoire 7.89 2022 down 6.7% falling
50 Malawi 7.86 2022 down 9.9% falling
51 Togo 7.6 2022 down 15.0% falling
52 Guyana 7.45 2022 down 3.5% falling
53 Suriname 7.18 2022 up 0.3% falling
54 Sierra Leone 7.16 2022 down 26.3% falling
55 Gabon 6.99 2022 down 12.8% falling
56 Lesotho 6.82 2022 down 13.6% falling
57 Zimbabwe 6.81 2022 down 15.3% falling
58 Singapore 6.73 2022 up 6.5% flat
59 Sao Tome and Principe 6.46 2022 down 2.3% falling
60 Afghanistan 6.45 2022 down 45.2% falling
61 Comoros 6.34 2022 down 14.9% falling
62 Trinidad and Tobago 6.22 2022 up 1.1% falling
63 Cameroon 6.16 2022 down 8.5% falling
63 Thailand 6.16 2022 down 21.6% falling
65 Ghana 6.08 2022 down 23.8% falling
66 Maldives 5.95 2022 down 52.7% falling
67 Liberia 5.9 2022 down 16.2% falling
68 Mauritius 5.89 2022 down 4.2% falling
69 Morocco 5.39 2022 down 8.3% falling
70 Malaysia 5.37 2022 down 30.4% falling
71 Cape Verde 5.24 2022 down 18.9% falling
72 South Africa 5.22 2022 down 10.3% falling
73 Antigua and Barbuda 4.64 2022 down 7.2% falling
73 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 4.64 2022 up 39.3% flat
75 Dominica 4.56 2022 down 7.3% falling
75 Dominican Republic 4.56 2022 down 4.2% falling
77 Oman 4.47 2022 down 19.0% falling
78 Libya 4.42 2022 down 0.2% falling
79 Algeria 4.25 2022 down 29.2% falling
80 Eswatini 4.19 2022 down 6.9% falling
81 Tajikistan 4.16 2022 down 15.4% falling
82 Jamaica 4.15 2022 down 8.6% falling
82 Republic of Korea 4.15 2022 up 1.2% falling
84 Fiji 4.14 2022 down 11.7% falling
85 Grenada 4.13 2022 down 10.0% falling
86 China 4.09 2022 down 33.7% falling
87 Cuba 4.03 2022 down 28.0% falling
88 Saudi Arabia 3.98 2022 up 1.3% falling
89 France 3.96 2022 up 20.0% rising
90 Seychelles 3.85 2022 down 16.8% falling
91 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3.81 2022 down 10.8% falling
92 Tunisia 3.8 2022 down 13.8% falling
93 Saint Lucia 3.7 2022 down 14.9% falling
94 Syrian Arab Republic 3.58 2022 up 14.7% falling
95 Jordan 3.53 2022 up 30.3% rising
96 Israel 3.52 2022 up 8.6% falling
97 Kyrgyzstan 3.49 2022 down 3.9% falling
98 Iran, Islamic Republic of 3.47 2022 down 37.6% falling
99 Bahamas 3.41 2022 up 3.6% falling
100 Brunei Darussalam 3.3 2022 down 45.0% falling
101 Iraq 3.27 2022 up 0.3% falling
102 Barbados 3.25 2022 down 3.0% falling
103 Palestine, State of 3.18 2022 up 22.3% rising
104 Kazakhstan 3.14 2022 down 11.3% falling
105 Papua New Guinea 3.09 2022 down 3.4% falling
106 Bhutan 3.08 2022 down 51.7% falling
107 Honduras 3.06 2022 down 2.5% falling
108 Mongolia 3.02 2022 down 7.1% falling
109 Turkmenistan 2.93 2022 down 22.3% falling
110 Colombia 2.8 2022 down 9.4% falling
111 El Salvador 2.75 2022 down 0.4% falling
112 Armenia 2.71 2022 down 5.6% falling
113 Serbia 2.68 2022 down 6.3% falling
114 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.67 2022 down 10.4% falling
115 Guatemala 2.66 2022 up 23.7% falling
116 Brazil 2.64 2022 down 22.1% falling
117 Bahrain 2.63 2022 down 18.1% falling
117 Switzerland 2.63 2022 down 2.2% falling
119 Paraguay 2.54 2022 down 15.9% falling
120 Panama 2.5 2022 down 4.6% falling
121 Russian Federation 2.49 2022 down 14.7% rising
122 Bulgaria 2.48 2022 down 10.8% falling
123 Uzbekistan 2.42 2022 down 23.4% falling
124 Andorra 2.41 2022 up 9.5% falling
125 Lebanon 2.37 2022 up 0.4% falling
125 Vanuatu 2.37 2022 down 10.9% falling
127 Belize 2.34 2022 down 15.2% falling
128 Azerbaijan 2.31 2022 down 8.7% falling
129 Georgia 2.3 2022 down 20.4% falling
129 Romania 2.3 2022 down 17.6% falling
131 North Macedonia 2.29 2022 down 10.9% falling
132 Costa Rica 2.25 2022 down 8.2% falling
132 Denmark 2.25 2022 up 16.6% falling
134 United Arab Emirates 2.14 2022 down 33.1% falling
135 Türkiye 2.12 2022 down 8.2% falling
136 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.05 2022 up 1.5% falling
137 Uruguay 2.02 2022 down 19.2% falling
138 Solomon Islands 2 2022 down 11.5% falling
139 Slovakia 1.98 2022 down 13.2% falling
140 Italy 1.96 2022 up 7.1% falling
141 Latvia 1.92 2022 down 18.6% falling
142 Luxembourg 1.91 2022 up 5.5% falling
143 Austria 1.89 2022 down 9.1% falling
144 Spain 1.88 2022 up 27.0% falling
145 Republic of Moldova 1.87 2022 down 16.9% falling
146 Cyprus 1.84 2022 up 1.7% falling
147 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.83 2022 down 14.1% falling
148 Belgium 1.8 2022 up 9.1% falling
149 Poland 1.79 2022 down 19.7% falling
150 Hungary 1.78 2022 down 9.6% falling
151 Belarus 1.77 2022 down 22.4% falling
152 Qatar 1.76 2022 down 27.0% falling
153 Canada 1.75 2022 up 5.4% falling
153 Iceland 1.75 2022 up 6.7% falling
155 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 1.74 2022 down 19.8% falling
156 United States of America 1.73 2022 up 6.8% falling
157 Marshall Islands 1.72 2022 down 0.6% falling
158 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.71 2022 up 17.9% falling
159 Montenegro 1.67 2022 down 20.5% falling
160 Egypt 1.63 2022 up 5.8% falling
161 Slovenia 1.62 2022 down 3.0% falling
162 Argentina 1.6 2022 down 14.9% falling
163 Portugal 1.59 2022 up 11.2% falling
164 Australia 1.56 2022 up 6.8% falling
165 Mexico 1.52 2022 down 5.6% falling
166 Ecuador 1.51 2022 down 15.2% falling
166 Malta 1.51 2022 up 13.5% falling
168 Estonia 1.5 2022 down 19.8% falling
168 Netherlands 1.5 2022 up 11.1% falling
170 Croatia 1.41 2022 down 19.4% falling
171 Germany 1.37 2022 up 8.7% falling
172 Lithuania 1.35 2022 down 13.5% falling
173 Sweden 1.32 2022 down 6.4% falling
173 Ukraine 1.32 2022 down 29.0% falling
175 Greece 1.31 2022 down 1.5% falling
176 Albania 1.29 2022 down 3.7% falling
177 New Zealand 1.28 2022 up 0.8% falling
178 Norway 1.27 2022 up 5.8% falling
179 Czechia 1.24 2022 down 13.9% falling
180 Palau 1.21 2022 up 0.8% falling
181 Finland 1.19 2022 up 0.8% falling
182 Ireland 1.14 2022 up 17.5% falling
183 Peru 1.01 2022 down 29.4% falling
184 Kuwait 0.76 2022 down 37.7% falling
185 Niue 0.72 2022 up 12.5% falling
186 Kiribati 0.71 2022 down 7.8% falling
187 Tuvalu 0.7 2022 down 6.7% falling
188 Chile 0.69 2022 down 21.6% falling
189 Cook Islands 0.53 2022 up 6.0% falling
189 Tokelau 0.53 2022 down 8.6% falling
191 Samoa 0.4 2022 up 2.6% falling
192 Naoero 0.36 2022 up 5.9% falling
193 Tonga 0.27 2022 down 3.6% falling

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 by country. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/">Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 by country</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
349 places, 9,955 data points, 1990–2022
Last refreshed