Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male was 21.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Bangladesh, 1997–2022
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, male in Bangladesh stood at 21.5%. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Bangladesh peaked at 52.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 21.5%, in 2022.
That places Bangladesh 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 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 52.9% | — |
| 2000 | 41.4% | -21.7% |
| 2004 | 43.0% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | -6.3% |
| 2007 | 40.2% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -13.4% |
| 2012 | 32.0% | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 32.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 21.7% | -32.8% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 21.5% | -4.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 21.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.7%, 1.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 21.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 20.6%, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.9% | 52.9% | 52.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 41.2% | 40.2% | 43.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 29.2% | 21.7% | 34.8% | 6 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More health data for Bangladesh
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,153 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,062 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 35 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8772 % 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 0.0468 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7714 % 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, male in Bangladesh?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Bangladesh was 21.5% 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, male recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.5% in 2022.
- How does Bangladesh rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male?
- Bangladesh ranks 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of underweight, male, is the percentage of boys 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.