Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female was 0.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
0.5%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
81st
of 83 countries
All-time high
0.6%
in 2007
All-time low
0.4%
in 2014
Years of data
13
2007–2019

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom, 2007–2019

00.20.40.62007201320192007: 0.6 % of children under 52008: 0.6 % of children under 52009: 0.5 % of children under 52010: 0.5 % of children under 52011: 0.6 % of children under 52012: 0.5 % of children under 52013: 0.5 % of children under 52014: 0.4 % of children under 52015: 0.5 % of children under 52016: 0.5 % of children under 52017: 0.4 % of children under 52018: 0.5 % of children under 52019: 0.5 % 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 United Kingdom is 0.5%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom peaked at 0.6% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2014.

United Kingdom ranks 81st of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female (% of children under 5) in United Kingdom, 2007 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2007 0.6%
2008 0.6% +0.0%
2009 0.5% -16.7%
2010 0.5% +0.0%
2011 0.6% +20.0%
2012 0.5% -16.7%
2013 0.5% +0.0%
2014 0.4% -20.0%
2015 0.5% +25.0%
2016 0.5% +0.0%
2017 0.4% -20.0%
2018 0.5% +25.0%
2019 0.5% +0.0%

United Kingdom compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom's 0.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5%, 33% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom's 0.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.0%, 25% of the median. (8 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 3
2010s 0.5% 0.4% 0.6% 10

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 78 Morocco 1.5% compare
  2. 79 Uruguay 1.3% compare
  3. 80 Jamaica 1.0% compare
  4. 82 United States 0.3% compare
  5. 83 South Korea 0.2% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female in United Kingdom was 0.5% in 2019, 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 2007.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2014.
How does United Kingdom rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female?
United Kingdom ranks 81st out of 83 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, female rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom. 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 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/united-kingdom/

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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.