Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions)

North America (World Bank regions): Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 1.71 in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
1.71
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
151st
of 156 groups
All-time high
1.71
in 2022
All-time low
1.61
in 2005
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions), 2000–2022

00.511.52000201120222000: 1.72001: 1.72002: 1.72003: 1.62004: 1.62005: 1.62006: 1.62007: 1.62008: 1.62009: 1.62010: 1.62011: 1.62012: 1.62013: 1.62014: 1.62015: 1.62016: 1.62017: 1.62018: 1.72019: 1.72020: 1.72021: 1.72022: 1.7

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

North America (World Bank regions) recorded 1.71 for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in 2022. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions) peaked at 1.71 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.61, in 2005.

North America (World Bank regions) ranks 151st of 156 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in North America (World Bank regions), 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 1.71
2001 1.71 +0.0%
2002 1.71 +0.0%
2003 1.61 -5.8%
2004 1.61 +0.0%
2005 1.61 -0.0%
2006 1.61 +0.0%
2007 1.61 +0.0%
2008 1.61 +0.0%
2009 1.61 +0.0%
2010 1.61 +0.0%
2011 1.61 +0.0%
2012 1.61 +0.0%
2013 1.61 +0.0%
2014 1.61 +0.0%
2015 1.61 +0.0%
2016 1.61 +0.0%
2017 1.61 +0.0%
2018 1.7 +5.6%
2019 1.7 +0.0%
2020 1.7 +0.0%
2021 1.7 +0.0%
2022 1.71 +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.64 1.61 1.71 10
2010s 1.63 1.61 1.7 10
2020s 1.7 1.7 1.71 3

Countries ranked near North America (World Bank regions)

  1. 148 Belgium 1.8 compare
  2. 149 Poland 1.79 compare
  3. 150 Hungary 1.78 compare
  4. 151 Belarus 1.77 compare
  5. 152 Qatar 1.76 compare
  6. 153 Iceland 1.75 compare
  7. 153 Canada 1.75 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for North America (World Bank regions)

All data for North America (World Bank regions) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions)?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in North America (World Bank regions) was 1.71 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in North America (World Bank regions)?
The highest recorded value was 1.71 in 2022.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in North America (World Bank regions)?
The lowest recorded value was 1.61 in 2005.
How does North America (World Bank regions) rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
North America (World Bank regions) ranks 151st out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in North America (World Bank regions)?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this North America (World Bank 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 North America (World Bank 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/north-america-world-bank-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