Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Malawi

Malawi: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 7.86 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
7.86
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
50th
of 193 countries
All-time high
13.31
in 1990
All-time low
7.86
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022

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

0510151990200620221990: 13.31991: 13.11992: 12.91993: 12.61994: 12.41995: 12.21996: 12.11997: 11.91998: 11.71999: 11.52000: 11.32001: 11.12002: 10.92003: 10.72004: 10.52005: 10.32006: 10.12007: 9.92008: 9.62009: 9.42010: 9.12011: 8.92012: 8.72013: 8.62014: 8.42015: 8.32016: 8.22017: 8.12018: 82019: 82020: 7.92021: 7.92022: 7.9

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

In 2022, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Malawi stood at 7.86. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Malawi peaked at 13.31 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 7.86, in 2022.

Malawi ranks 50th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Malawi, 1990 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1990 13.31
1991 13.08 -1.7%
1992 12.86 -1.7%
1993 12.64 -1.7%
1994 12.43 -1.7%
1995 12.25 -1.4%
1996 12.07 -1.5%
1997 11.88 -1.6%
1998 11.68 -1.7%
1999 11.49 -1.6%
2000 11.32 -1.5%
2001 11.13 -1.7%
2002 10.93 -1.8%
2003 10.73 -1.8%
2004 10.52 -2.0%
2005 10.31 -2.0%
2006 10.09 -2.1%
2007 9.87 -2.2%
2008 9.62 -2.5%
2009 9.37 -2.6%
2010 9.13 -2.6%
2011 8.92 -2.3%
2012 8.72 -2.2%
2013 8.55 -1.9%
2014 8.4 -1.8%
2015 8.28 -1.4%
2016 8.17 -1.3%
2017 8.08 -1.1%
2018 8.01 -0.9%
2019 7.96 -0.6%
2020 7.92 -0.5%
2021 7.89 -0.4%
2022 7.86 -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.37 11.49 13.31 10
2000s 10.39 9.37 11.32 10
2010s 8.42 7.96 9.13 10
2020s 7.89 7.86 7.92 3

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 47 Zambia 8.05 compare
  2. 48 Benin 7.97 compare
  3. 49 Côte d'Ivoire 7.89 compare
  4. 51 Togo 7.6 compare
  5. 52 Guyana 7.45 compare
  6. 53 Suriname 7.18 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Malawi?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Malawi was 7.86 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 13.31 in 1990.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 7.86 in 2022.
How does Malawi rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Malawi ranks 50th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi 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 Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/malawi/

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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