Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia
Malaysia: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 14.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia, 2006–2022
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 2022, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia stood at 14.8%. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia peaked at 14.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 2015.
Malaysia ranks 26th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 12.3% | — |
| 2015 | 11.6% | -5.7% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 13.4% | +8.1% |
| 2022 | 14.8% | +10.4% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 14.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.5%, 4.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 14.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.7%, 1.0× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 11.6% | 13.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Malaysia was 14.8% in 2022, 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 14.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 2015.
- How does Malaysia rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
- Malaysia ranks 26th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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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About this data
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.