Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Benin
Benin: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male was 21.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Benin, 1996–2021
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, male in Benin is 21.7%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 21.9% on the previous year and up 21.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Benin peaked at 28.7% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2018.
Benin ranks 13th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 28.7% | — |
| 2001 | 21.5% | -25.1% |
| 2008 | 17.9% | -16.7% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 17.8% | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 21.7% | +21.9% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 21.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.7%, 1.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Benin's 21.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.4%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.7% | 28.7% | 28.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.7% | 17.9% | 21.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.6% | 17.8% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 21.7% | 21.7% | 21.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 10 Madagascar 24.4% compare
- 11 Pakistan 24.0% compare
- 12 Ethiopia 23.0% compare
- 14 Bangladesh 21.5% compare
- 15 Sri Lanka 20.6% compare
- 16 Central African Republic 20.2% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 20.2% compare
More health data for Benin
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8458 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,002 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,632 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 21 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.21 % 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 0.0741 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.24 % 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 Benin?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Benin was 21.7% in 2021, 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 1996.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2018.
- How does Benin rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male?
- Benin ranks 13th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.