Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG)

Central America (UNSDG): Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 1.84 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
1.84
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
149th
of 156 groups
All-time high
2.62
in 2000
All-time low
1.8
in 2016
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG), 2000–2022

01232000201120222000: 2.62001: 2.52002: 2.32003: 2.32004: 2.22005: 2.12006: 2.12007: 22008: 22009: 22010: 1.92011: 1.92012: 1.92013: 1.92014: 1.92015: 1.92016: 1.82017: 1.82018: 1.82019: 1.82020: 1.82021: 1.82022: 1.8

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Central America (UNSDG) recorded 1.84 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG) peaked at 2.62 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.8, in 2016.

Central America (UNSDG) ranks 149th of 156 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Central America (UNSDG), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 2.62
2001 2.45 -6.5%
2002 2.35 -4.3%
2003 2.26 -3.6%
2004 2.24 -1.1%
2005 2.14 -4.1%
2006 2.06 -3.9%
2007 2.05 -0.7%
2008 1.96 -4.0%
2009 1.95 -0.6%
2010 1.94 -0.4%
2011 1.87 -3.8%
2012 1.87 -0.1%
2013 1.86 -0.3%
2014 1.86 +0.1%
2015 1.87 +0.2%
2016 1.8 -3.9%
2017 1.8 +0.1%
2018 1.81 +0.6%
2019 1.82 +0.5%
2020 1.82 +0.1%
2021 1.83 +0.6%
2022 1.84 +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.21 1.95 2.62 10
2010s 1.85 1.8 1.94 10
2020s 1.83 1.82 1.84 3

Countries ranked near Central America (UNSDG)

  1. 146 Cyprus 1.84 compare
  2. 147 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.83 compare
  3. 148 Belgium 1.8 compare
  4. 149 Poland 1.79 compare
  5. 150 Hungary 1.78 compare
  6. 151 Belarus 1.77 compare
  7. 152 Qatar 1.76 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Central America (UNSDG)

All data for Central America (UNSDG) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG)?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG) was 1.84 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Central America (UNSDG)?
The highest recorded value was 2.62 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Central America (UNSDG)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.8 in 2016.
How does Central America (UNSDG) rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Central America (UNSDG) ranks 149th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Central America (UNSDG)?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Central America (UNSDG) 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.

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Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Central America (UNSDG). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/central-america-unsdg/

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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