Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)

Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions): Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 13.48 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
13.48
Change on year
down 0.2%
Rank
16th
of 156 groups
All-time high
15.88
in 2000
All-time low
13.48
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions), 2000–2022

0510152000201120222000: 15.92001: 15.82002: 15.62003: 15.52004: 15.42005: 15.22006: 15.12007: 14.92008: 14.82009: 14.62010: 14.52011: 14.42012: 14.22013: 14.12014: 142015: 13.92016: 13.82017: 13.72018: 13.62019: 13.62020: 13.52021: 13.52022: 13.5

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) is 13.48, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) peaked at 15.88 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.48, in 2022.

That places Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) 16th out of 156 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 15.88
2001 15.76 -0.8%
2002 15.64 -0.8%
2003 15.49 -1.0%
2004 15.37 -0.8%
2005 15.21 -1.0%
2006 15.06 -1.0%
2007 14.91 -1.0%
2008 14.79 -0.8%
2009 14.65 -1.0%
2010 14.51 -0.9%
2011 14.36 -1.0%
2012 14.21 -1.1%
2013 14.08 -0.9%
2014 13.97 -0.8%
2015 13.85 -0.8%
2016 13.76 -0.7%
2017 13.7 -0.4%
2018 13.61 -0.7%
2019 13.57 -0.3%
2020 13.55 -0.2%
2021 13.51 -0.3%
2022 13.48 -0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.28 14.65 15.88 10
2010s 13.96 13.57 14.51 10
2020s 13.51 13.48 13.55 3

Countries ranked near Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)

  1. 13 India 13.86 compare
  2. 14 Myanmar 13.82 compare
  3. 15 Congo 13.63 compare
  4. 16 Yemen 13.58 compare
  5. 17 Haiti 13.23 compare
  6. 18 Namibia 13.11 compare
  7. 19 Sri Lanka 12.93 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)

All data for Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) was 13.48 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)?
The highest recorded value was 15.88 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)?
The lowest recorded value was 13.48 in 2022.
How does Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) ranks 16th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions) 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 — 23 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 Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/eastern-and-southern-africa-unicef-prog-regions/

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/eastern-and-southern-africa-unicef-prog-regions/">Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Eastern and Southern Africa (UNICEF Prog.regions)</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