Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Kenya

Kenya: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 11.81 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
11.81
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
24th
of 193 countries
All-time high
16.14
in 1990
All-time low
11.81
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Kenya, 1990–2022

0510151990200620221990: 16.11991: 161992: 15.91993: 15.81994: 15.61995: 15.51996: 15.41997: 15.21998: 15.11999: 14.92000: 14.82001: 14.62002: 14.52003: 14.32004: 14.12005: 13.92006: 13.72007: 13.52008: 13.32009: 13.12010: 12.92011: 12.82012: 12.62013: 12.42014: 12.32015: 12.22016: 12.12017: 122018: 11.92019: 11.92020: 11.92021: 11.82022: 11.8

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Kenya recorded 11.81 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 0.3% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Kenya peaked at 16.14 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 11.81, in 2022.

Kenya ranks 24th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Kenya, 1990 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1990 16.14
1991 16.01 -0.8%
1992 15.88 -0.8%
1993 15.76 -0.8%
1994 15.63 -0.8%
1995 15.51 -0.8%
1996 15.38 -0.8%
1997 15.24 -0.9%
1998 15.1 -0.9%
1999 14.95 -1.0%
2000 14.8 -1.0%
2001 14.64 -1.1%
2002 14.47 -1.2%
2003 14.29 -1.2%
2004 14.11 -1.3%
2005 13.92 -1.3%
2006 13.72 -1.4%
2007 13.52 -1.5%
2008 13.32 -1.5%
2009 13.12 -1.5%
2010 12.93 -1.4%
2011 12.75 -1.4%
2012 12.58 -1.3%
2013 12.42 -1.3%
2014 12.29 -1.0%
2015 12.17 -1.0%
2016 12.08 -0.7%
2017 12 -0.7%
2018 11.94 -0.5%
2019 11.9 -0.3%
2020 11.86 -0.3%
2021 11.84 -0.2%
2022 11.81 -0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 15.56 14.95 16.14 10
2000s 13.99 13.12 14.8 10
2010s 12.31 11.9 12.93 10
2020s 11.84 11.81 11.86 3

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 21 Bangladesh 12.73 compare
  2. 22 Djibouti 12.57 compare
  3. 23 Botswana 12.55 compare
  4. 25 Viet Nam 11.75 compare
  5. 26 Gambia 11.53 compare
  6. 27 Uganda 11.48 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Kenya?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Kenya was 11.81 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 16.14 in 1990.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 11.81 in 2022.
How does Kenya rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Kenya ranks 24th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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 Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/kenya/

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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