Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 20.4% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka, 1987–2016
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 2016, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka stood at 20.4%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka peaked at 30.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2016.
That places Sri Lanka 12th out of 83 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 27.3% | — |
| 1993 | 30.9% | +13.2% |
| 2000 | 24.4% | -21.0% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | -11.9% |
| 2009 | 21.6% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 26.6% | +23.1% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | -23.3% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 20.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.5%, 5.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.3% | 27.3% | 27.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 30.9% | 30.9% | 30.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 22.5% | 21.5% | 24.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 23.5% | 20.4% | 26.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 9 Pakistan 22.1% compare
- 10 Bangladesh 21.8% compare
- 11 Madagascar 20.8% compare
- 12 Nepal 20.4% compare
- 14 Mauritania 19.8% compare
- 15 Ethiopia 19.4% compare
More health data for Sri Lanka
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7332 % 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 1 304 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.13 % 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 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.12 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in Sri Lanka was 20.4% in 2016, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2016.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
- Sri Lanka ranks 12th out of 83 countries with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.