Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 12.43 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
12.43
Change on year
down 0.3%
Rank
26th
of 156 groups
All-time high
14.76
in 2000
All-time low
12.43
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), 2000–2022

0510152000201120222000: 14.82001: 14.62002: 14.52003: 14.42004: 14.22005: 14.12006: 13.92007: 13.82008: 13.72009: 13.52010: 13.42011: 13.32012: 13.12013: 132014: 12.92015: 12.82016: 12.72017: 12.72018: 12.62019: 12.62020: 12.52021: 12.52022: 12.4

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) recorded 12.43 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) peaked at 14.76 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.43, in 2022.

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ranks 26th of 156 groups on this measure, in the top 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 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 14.76
2001 14.62 -0.9%
2002 14.49 -0.9%
2003 14.37 -0.8%
2004 14.22 -1.0%
2005 14.1 -0.9%
2006 13.94 -1.1%
2007 13.81 -1.0%
2008 13.68 -0.9%
2009 13.54 -1.0%
2010 13.41 -1.0%
2011 13.26 -1.1%
2012 13.12 -1.0%
2013 12.99 -1.0%
2014 12.9 -0.8%
2015 12.81 -0.7%
2016 12.72 -0.7%
2017 12.67 -0.4%
2018 12.6 -0.5%
2019 12.56 -0.3%
2020 12.52 -0.3%
2021 12.47 -0.4%
2022 12.43 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 14.15 13.54 14.76 10
2010s 12.9 12.56 13.41 10
2020s 12.47 12.43 12.52 3

Countries ranked near Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

  1. 23 Botswana 12.55 compare
  2. 24 Kenya 11.81 compare
  3. 25 Vietnam 11.75 compare
  4. 26 Gambia 11.53 compare
  5. 27 Uganda 11.48 compare
  6. 28 Burkina Faso 11.26 compare
  7. 29 Cambodia 11.15 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

All data for Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) was 12.43 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)?
The highest recorded value was 14.76 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)?
The lowest recorded value was 12.43 in 2022.
How does Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) ranks 26th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) 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 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/common-market-for-eastern-and-southern-africa-comesa/

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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