Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt

Egypt: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 3.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
3.9%
World rank
60th
of 83 countries
All-time high
10.2%
in 1988
All-time low
3.9%
in 2021
Years of data
9
1988–2021

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt, 1988–2021

02.557.5101988200420211988: 10.2 % of children under 51991: 9 % of children under 51992: 7.9 % of children under 51995: 9.8 % of children under 52003: 7 % of children under 52005: 4.2 % of children under 52008: 5.4 % of children under 52014: 6.2 % of children under 52021: 3.9 % of children under 5

Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

In 2021, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt stood at 3.9%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of down 27.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt peaked at 10.2% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2021.

Egypt ranks 60th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5) in Egypt, 1988 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 10.2%
1991 9.0% -11.8%
1992 7.9% -12.2%
1995 9.8% +24.1%
2003 7.0% -28.6%
2005 4.2% -40.0%
2008 5.4% +28.6%
2014 6.2% +14.8%
2021 3.9% -37.1%

Egypt compared with similar countries

  • Egypt's 3.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.8%, 36% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Egypt's 3.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.9%, 1.3× the median. (11 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 10.2% 10.2% 10.2% 1
1990s 8.9% 7.9% 9.8% 3
2000s 5.5% 4.2% 7.0% 3
2010s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
2020s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1

Countries ranked near Egypt

  1. 57 Ecuador 4.4% compare
  2. 58 Eswatini 4.3% compare
  3. 58 Nicaragua 4.3% compare
  4. 61 Colombia 3.5% compare
  5. 62 Kyrgyzstan 3.2% compare
  6. 63 Bolivia 2.9% compare
  7. 63 Jordan 2.9% compare
  8. 63 Saudi Arabia 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Egypt

All data for Egypt →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt was 3.9% in 2021, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
What is the highest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Egypt?
The highest recorded value was 10.2% in 1988.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Egypt?
The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2021.
How does Egypt rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
Egypt ranks 60th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Egypt?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Egypt data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Egypt. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/egypt-arab-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 735 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of underweight, female, is the percentage of girls under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.