Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Mauritania
Mauritania: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 19.8% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Mauritania, 2000–2022
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 Mauritania stood at 19.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 58.4% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Mauritania peaked at 27.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2021.
That places Mauritania 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.8% | — |
| 2007 | 24.4% | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 14.5% | -40.6% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | +57.9% |
| 2012 | 17.8% | -22.3% |
| 2015 | 22.7% | +27.5% |
| 2018 | 17.1% | -24.7% |
| 2019 | 15.1% | -11.7% |
| 2020 | 16.0% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 12.5% | -21.9% |
| 2022 | 19.8% | +58.4% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 19.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.8%, 1.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 19.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.4%, 1.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.2% | 14.5% | 27.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 15.1% | 22.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 12.5% | 19.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More health data for Mauritania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8878 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 653 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,563 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.77 % 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 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.77 % 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 Mauritania?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Mauritania was 19.8% 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2021.
- How does Mauritania rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
- Mauritania ranks 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.