Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Nepal
Nepal: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 20.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Nepal, 1996–2022
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 Nepal stood at 20.4%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.6% on the previous year and down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Nepal peaked at 43.5% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2022.
That places Nepal 12th out of 83 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 42.8% | — |
| 1998 | 35.9% | -16.1% |
| 2001 | 43.5% | +21.2% |
| 2006 | 39.6% | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 32.7% | -17.4% |
| 2011 | 28.2% | -13.8% |
| 2014 | 31.1% | +10.3% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | -11.9% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -12.8% |
| 2022 | 20.4% | -14.6% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 20.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.8%, 1.9× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 20.4% is above the median for South Asia, which is 20.4%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.3% | 35.9% | 42.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.5% | 39.6% | 43.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 28.7% | 23.9% | 32.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 20.4% | 20.4% | 20.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
- 9 Pakistan 22.1% compare
- 10 Bangladesh 21.8% compare
- 11 Madagascar 20.8% compare
- 12 Sri Lanka 20.4% compare
- 14 Mauritania 19.8% compare
- 15 Ethiopia 19.4% compare
More health data for Nepal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8518 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,326 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 955 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.17 % 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 0.0451 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.11 % 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 Nepal?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Nepal was 20.4% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2022.
- How does Nepal rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
- Nepal ranks 12th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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.