Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam

Vietnam: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male was 12.1% in 2010. ▼ Falling

Latest (2010)
12.1%
Change on year
down 34.2%
World rank
43rd
of 83 countries
All-time high
37.8%
in 1993
All-time low
12.1%
in 2010
Years of data
12
1993–2010

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam, 1993–2010

102030401993200120101993: 37.8 % of children under 51999: 31.9 % of children under 52000: 26.6 % of children under 52002: 23.8 % of children under 52003: 25 % of children under 52004: 23.8 % of children under 52005: 23 % of children under 52006: 22 % of children under 52007: 22.1 % of children under 52008: 20.8 % of children under 52009: 18.4 % of children under 52010: 12.1 % 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

Vietnam recorded 12.1% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in 2010. That is the lowest value across all 12 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 34.2% on the previous year and down 54.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam peaked at 37.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 2010.

That places Vietnam 43rd out of 83 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male (% of children under 5) in Vietnam, 1993 to 2010.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1993 37.8%
1999 31.9% -15.6%
2000 26.6% -16.6%
2002 23.8% -10.5%
2003 25.0% +5.0%
2004 23.8% -4.8%
2005 23.0% -3.4%
2006 22.0% -4.3%
2007 22.1% +0.5%
2008 20.8% -5.9%
2009 18.4% -11.5%
2010 12.1% -34.2%

Vietnam compared with similar countries

  • Vietnam's 12.1% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.9%, 3.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Vietnam's 12.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.8%, 77% of the median. (12 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 34.8% 31.9% 37.8% 2
2000s 22.8% 18.4% 26.6% 9
2010s 12.1% 12.1% 12.1% 1

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 40 Gambia 12.8% compare
  2. 41 Sierra Leone 12.6% compare
  3. 42 Cameroon 12.2% compare
  4. 44 Haiti 12.0% compare
  5. 45 Liberia 11.4% compare
  6. 46 Uganda 11.2% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam was 12.1% in 2010, 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 Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 1993.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 2010.
How does Vietnam rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male?
Vietnam ranks 43rd out of 83 countries with data for 2010.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is down 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Vietnam 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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Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male in Vietnam. 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-male-percent-of-children-under-5/viet-nam/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male (% 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, 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.