Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa

(SDGRC) Southern Africa: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 7.47 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
7.47
Change on year
down 0.7%
Rank
75th
of 156 groups
All-time high
10.44
in 2000
All-time low
7.47
in 2022
Years of data
23
2000–2022

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa, 2000–2022

02.557.5102000201120222000: 10.42001: 10.32002: 10.22003: 102004: 9.82005: 9.72006: 9.42007: 9.32008: 9.12009: 92010: 8.82011: 8.62012: 8.42013: 8.32014: 8.22015: 8.12016: 7.92017: 7.82018: 7.72019: 7.72020: 7.62021: 7.52022: 7.5

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

In 2022, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa stood at 7.47. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa peaked at 10.44 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.47, in 2022.

(SDGRC) Southern Africa ranks 75th of 156 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in (SDGRC) Southern Africa, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 10.44
2001 10.3 -1.4%
2002 10.17 -1.3%
2003 9.97 -2.0%
2004 9.82 -1.5%
2005 9.66 -1.7%
2006 9.45 -2.2%
2007 9.3 -1.6%
2008 9.13 -1.8%
2009 8.96 -1.8%
2010 8.81 -1.7%
2011 8.61 -2.3%
2012 8.44 -1.9%
2013 8.29 -1.7%
2014 8.16 -1.6%
2015 8.05 -1.4%
2016 7.94 -1.4%
2017 7.82 -1.5%
2018 7.73 -1.2%
2019 7.66 -0.9%
2020 7.6 -0.7%
2021 7.52 -1.0%
2022 7.47 -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9.72 8.96 10.44 10
2010s 8.15 7.66 8.81 10
2020s 7.53 7.47 7.6 3

Countries ranked near (SDGRC) Southern Africa

  1. 72 South Africa 5.22 compare
  2. 73 Antigua and Barbuda 4.64 compare
  3. 73 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 4.64 compare
  4. 75 Dominica 4.56 compare
  5. 75 Dominican Republic 4.56 compare
  6. 77 Oman 4.47 compare
  7. 78 Libya 4.42 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for (SDGRC) Southern Africa

All data for (SDGRC) Southern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa was 7.47 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in (SDGRC) Southern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 10.44 in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in (SDGRC) Southern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7.47 in 2022.
How does (SDGRC) Southern Africa rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
(SDGRC) Southern Africa ranks 75th out of 156 groups with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in (SDGRC) Southern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this (SDGRC) Southern Africa 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 (SDGRC) Southern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/sdgrc-southern-africa/

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/sdgrc-southern-africa/">Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in (SDGRC) Southern Africa</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