Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) was 12.84 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
12.84
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
20th
of 193 countries
All-time high
23.42
in 1990
All-time low
12.84
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2022

05101520251990200620221990: 23.41991: 23.31992: 23.21993: 23.11994: 231995: 22.81996: 22.71997: 22.51998: 22.41999: 22.22000: 21.92001: 21.72002: 21.42003: 21.12004: 20.82005: 20.52006: 20.12007: 19.62008: 19.22009: 18.72010: 18.22011: 17.72012: 17.22013: 16.72014: 16.22015: 15.82016: 15.32017: 14.82018: 14.42019: 142020: 13.62021: 13.22022: 12.8

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 12.84 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 23.42 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 12.84, in 2022.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 20th out of 193 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1990 23.42 —
1991 23.32 -0.4%
1992 23.22 -0.4%
1993 23.1 -0.5%
1994 22.98 -0.5%
1995 22.84 -0.6%
1996 22.69 -0.7%
1997 22.53 -0.7%
1998 22.36 -0.8%
1999 22.16 -0.9%
2000 21.94 -1.0%
2001 21.71 -1.0%
2002 21.44 -1.2%
2003 21.15 -1.4%
2004 20.83 -1.5%
2005 20.47 -1.7%
2006 20.07 -2.0%
2007 19.65 -2.1%
2008 19.2 -2.3%
2009 18.72 -2.5%
2010 18.23 -2.6%
2011 17.74 -2.7%
2012 17.24 -2.8%
2013 16.74 -2.9%
2014 16.25 -2.9%
2015 15.77 -3.0%
2016 15.3 -3.0%
2017 14.85 -2.9%
2018 14.42 -2.9%
2019 14.01 -2.8%
2020 13.61 -2.9%
2021 13.22 -2.9%
2022 12.84 -2.9%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.84 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11.53, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.84 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.5, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 22.86 22.16 23.42 10
2000s 20.52 18.72 21.94 10
2010s 16.05 14.01 18.23 10
2020s 13.22 12.84 13.61 3

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 17 Haiti 13.23 compare
  2. 18 Namibia 13.11 compare
  3. 19 Sri Lanka 12.93 compare
  4. 21 Bangladesh 12.73 compare
  5. 22 Djibouti 12.57 compare
  6. 23 Botswana 12.55 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Democratic Republic of Congo was 12.84 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 23.42 in 1990.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 12.84 in 2022.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 20th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/congo-dem-rep/

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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