Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives

Maldives: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 15.4% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
15.4%
World rank
23rd
of 83 countries
All-time high
31.9%
in 1994
All-time low
15.4%
in 2017
Years of data
5
1994–2017

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives, 1994–2017

01020301994200520171994: 31.9 % of children under 51997: 28 % of children under 52001: 26 % of children under 52009: 16.9 % of children under 52017: 15.4 % 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

The most recent figure for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives is 15.4%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives peaked at 31.9% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 15.4%, in 2017.

Maldives ranks 23rd of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5) in Maldives, 1994 to 2017.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1994 31.9%
1997 28.0% -12.2%
2001 26.0% -7.1%
2009 16.9% -35.0%
2017 15.4% -8.9%

Maldives compared with similar countries

  • Maldives's 15.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.5%, 4.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Maldives's 15.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 20.4%, 75% of the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 29.9% 28.0% 31.9% 2
2000s 21.4% 16.9% 26.0% 2
2010s 15.4% 15.4% 15.4% 1

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 20 Djibouti 17.1% compare
  2. 21 Chad 16.7% compare
  3. 22 Central African Republic 16.6% compare
  4. 24 Senegal 15.3% compare
  5. 25 Indonesia 15.2% compare
  6. 26 Burkina Faso 14.8% compare
  7. 26 Malaysia 14.8% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives was 15.4% in 2017, 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 Maldives?
The highest recorded value was 31.9% in 1994.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Maldives?
The lowest recorded value was 15.4% in 2017.
How does Maldives rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
Maldives ranks 23rd out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Maldives 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 Maldives. 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/maldives/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/maldives/">Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Maldives</a> — Statizoid

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.