Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia
Gambia: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male was 12.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia, 2000–2020
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
Gambia recorded 12.8% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.4% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia peaked at 19.7% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 2020.
That places Gambia 40th out of 83 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.3% | — |
| 2006 | 16.7% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 17.9% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 17.4% | -11.7% |
| 2018 | 15.5% | -10.9% |
| 2020 | 12.8% | -17.4% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 12.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 19.4%, 66% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 12.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.4%, 78% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.5% | 16.3% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 15.5% | 19.7% | 4 |
| 2020s | 12.8% | 12.8% | 12.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More health data for Gambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.27 % 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 1,044 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 700 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9696 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0686 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9636 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Gambia was 12.8% in 2020, 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 2012.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 2020.
- How does Gambia rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male?
- Gambia ranks 40th out of 83 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.