Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 was 12.93 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
12.93
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
19th
of 193 countries
All-time high
34.04
in 1990
All-time low
12.93
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022

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

01020301990200620221990: 341991: 33.41992: 32.71993: 321994: 31.41995: 30.71996: 301997: 29.41998: 28.71999: 282000: 27.22001: 26.52002: 25.82003: 252004: 24.22005: 23.52006: 22.72007: 222008: 21.22009: 20.52010: 19.82011: 19.12012: 18.42013: 17.82014: 17.12015: 16.52016: 15.92017: 15.42018: 14.92019: 14.32020: 13.82021: 13.42022: 12.9

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 12.93 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 3.4% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Sri Lanka peaked at 34.04 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 12.93, in 2022.

That places Sri Lanka 19th out of 193 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

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

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

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 (Crude estimate) in Sri Lanka, 1990 to 2022.
Year Value Change
1990 34.04
1991 33.36 -2.0%
1992 32.69 -2.0%
1993 32.02 -2.0%
1994 31.35 -2.1%
1995 30.69 -2.1%
1996 30.02 -2.2%
1997 29.35 -2.2%
1998 28.66 -2.4%
1999 27.96 -2.4%
2000 27.24 -2.6%
2001 26.51 -2.7%
2002 25.76 -2.8%
2003 25 -3.0%
2004 24.24 -3.0%
2005 23.48 -3.1%
2006 22.72 -3.2%
2007 21.97 -3.3%
2008 21.24 -3.3%
2009 20.51 -3.4%
2010 19.79 -3.5%
2011 19.09 -3.5%
2012 18.41 -3.6%
2013 17.76 -3.5%
2014 17.12 -3.6%
2015 16.52 -3.5%
2016 15.94 -3.5%
2017 15.38 -3.5%
2018 14.86 -3.4%
2019 14.34 -3.5%
2020 13.85 -3.4%
2021 13.38 -3.4%
2022 12.93 -3.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 31.01 27.96 34.04 10
2000s 23.87 20.51 27.24 10
2010s 16.92 14.34 19.79 10
2020s 13.39 12.93 13.85 3

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 16 Yemen 13.58 compare
  2. 17 Haiti 13.23 compare
  3. 18 Namibia 13.11 compare
  4. 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 12.84 compare
  5. 21 Bangladesh 12.73 compare
  6. 22 Djibouti 12.57 compare

See the full ranking of 349 places →

More health data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Sri Lanka?
Prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 in Sri Lanka was 12.93 in 2022, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 34.04 in 1990.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 12.93 in 2022.
How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5?
Sri Lanka ranks 19th out of 193 countries with data for 2022.
Is prevalence of underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-crude-estimate/sri-lanka/

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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