Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar

Myanmar: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 19.2% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
19.2%
Change on year
up 7.3%
World rank
16th
of 83 countries
All-time high
28.9%
in 2003
All-time low
17.9%
in 2016
Years of data
5
2000–2018

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar, 2000–2018

01020302000200920182000: 28.5 % of children under 52003: 28.9 % of children under 52009: 22.1 % of children under 52016: 17.9 % of children under 52018: 19.2 % 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 Myanmar is 19.2%, measured in 2018.

The figure is up 7.3% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar peaked at 28.9% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2016.

That places Myanmar 16th out of 83 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5) in Myanmar, 2000 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 28.5%
2003 28.9% +1.4%
2009 22.1% -23.5%
2016 17.9% -19.0%
2018 19.2% +7.3%

Myanmar compared with similar countries

  • Myanmar's 19.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.8%, 1.8× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Myanmar's 19.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 14.7%, 1.3× the median. (12 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 26.5% 22.1% 28.9% 3
2010s 18.5% 17.9% 19.2% 2

Countries ranked near Myanmar

  1. 14 Mauritania 19.8% compare
  2. 15 Ethiopia 19.4% compare
  3. 17 Philippines 17.9% compare
  4. 18 Benin 17.5% compare
  5. 19 Guinea-Bissau 17.4% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Myanmar

All data for Myanmar →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar was 19.2% in 2018, 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 Myanmar?
The highest recorded value was 28.9% in 2003.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Myanmar?
The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2016.
How does Myanmar rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
Myanmar ranks 16th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Myanmar?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Myanmar 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Myanmar. 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/myanmar/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

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