Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Botswana

Botswana: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 12.55 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
12.55
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
23rd
of 193 countries
All-time high
19.48
in 1990
All-time low
12.55
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Botswana, 1990–2022

051015201990200620221990: 19.51991: 19.31992: 19.21993: 19.11994: 18.91995: 18.81996: 18.71997: 18.51998: 18.41999: 18.22000: 18.12001: 17.92002: 17.72003: 17.52004: 17.22005: 172006: 16.72007: 16.42008: 16.12009: 15.82010: 15.52011: 15.22012: 14.92013: 14.62014: 14.32015: 142016: 13.82017: 13.52018: 13.32019: 13.12020: 12.92021: 12.72022: 12.6

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 12.55 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 15.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Botswana peaked at 19.48 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 12.55, in 2022.

Botswana ranks 23rd of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Botswana, 1990 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1990 19.48
1991 19.34 -0.7%
1992 19.21 -0.7%
1993 19.07 -0.7%
1994 18.94 -0.7%
1995 18.81 -0.7%
1996 18.67 -0.7%
1997 18.53 -0.7%
1998 18.38 -0.8%
1999 18.22 -0.9%
2000 18.05 -0.9%
2001 17.87 -1.0%
2002 17.67 -1.1%
2003 17.47 -1.1%
2004 17.24 -1.3%
2005 16.99 -1.5%
2006 16.72 -1.6%
2007 16.44 -1.7%
2008 16.14 -1.8%
2009 15.83 -1.9%
2010 15.52 -2.0%
2011 15.2 -2.1%
2012 14.88 -2.1%
2013 14.57 -2.1%
2014 14.28 -2.0%
2015 14.01 -1.9%
2016 13.75 -1.9%
2017 13.51 -1.7%
2018 13.29 -1.6%
2019 13.08 -1.6%
2020 12.89 -1.5%
2021 12.71 -1.4%
2022 12.55 -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18.87 18.22 19.48 10
2000s 17.04 15.83 18.05 10
2010s 14.21 13.08 15.52 10
2020s 12.72 12.55 12.89 3

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 12.84 compare
  2. 21 Bangladesh 12.73 compare
  3. 22 Djibouti 12.57 compare
  4. 24 Kenya 11.81 compare
  5. 25 Viet Nam 11.75 compare
  6. 26 Gambia 11.53 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Botswana?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Botswana was 12.55 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 19.48 in 1990.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 12.55 in 2022.
How does Botswana rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Botswana ranks 23rd out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/botswana/

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/botswana/">Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Botswana</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