Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions)

Europe (WHO regions): Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 2.14 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
2.14
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
135th
of 156 groups
All-time high
2.45
in 2000
All-time low
2.1
in 2019
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions), 2000–2022

00.511.522.52000201120222000: 2.52001: 2.42002: 2.42003: 2.42004: 2.42005: 2.42006: 2.32007: 2.32008: 2.32009: 2.32010: 2.22011: 2.22012: 2.22013: 2.22014: 2.22015: 2.12016: 2.22017: 2.12018: 2.12019: 2.12020: 2.12021: 2.12022: 2.1

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Europe (WHO regions) recorded 2.14 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions) peaked at 2.45 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.1, in 2019.

Europe (WHO regions) ranks 135th 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 Europe (WHO regions), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Europe (WHO regions), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 2.45
2001 2.44 -0.3%
2002 2.41 -1.4%
2003 2.4 -0.3%
2004 2.38 -0.8%
2005 2.36 -0.9%
2006 2.33 -1.3%
2007 2.31 -0.9%
2008 2.29 -0.8%
2009 2.28 -0.4%
2010 2.25 -1.5%
2011 2.24 -0.3%
2012 2.22 -0.9%
2013 2.2 -0.7%
2014 2.18 -0.9%
2015 2.15 -1.5%
2016 2.15 +0.2%
2017 2.12 -1.4%
2018 2.12 -0.1%
2019 2.1 -0.9%
2020 2.11 +0.5%
2021 2.12 +0.5%
2022 2.14 +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.37 2.28 2.45 10
2010s 2.17 2.1 2.25 10
2020s 2.12 2.11 2.14 3

Countries ranked near Europe (WHO regions)

  1. 132 Costa Rica 2.25 compare
  2. 132 Denmark 2.25 compare
  3. 134 United Arab Emirates 2.14 compare
  4. 135 Türkiye 2.12 compare
  5. 136 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.05 compare
  6. 137 Uruguay 2.02 compare
  7. 138 Solomon Islands 2 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Europe (WHO regions)

All data for Europe (WHO regions) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions)?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions) was 2.14 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Europe (WHO regions)?
The highest recorded value was 2.45 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Europe (WHO regions)?
The lowest recorded value was 2.1 in 2019.
How does Europe (WHO regions) rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Europe (WHO regions) ranks 135th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Europe (WHO regions)?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Europe (WHO 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.

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Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Europe (WHO regions). Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/europe-who-regions/

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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