Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Bolivia
Bolivia: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) was 3.4% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Bolivia, 1988–2016
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 2016, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Bolivia stood at 3.4%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Bolivia peaked at 12.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2016.
Bolivia ranks 72nd of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 9.8% | — |
| 1989 | 8.9% | -9.2% |
| 1990 | 9.7% | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 10.5% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 12.5% | +19.0% |
| 1998 | 5.9% | -52.8% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | -22.4% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -5.6% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 3.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 29% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 3.4% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 92% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 9.4% | 8.9% | 9.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 9.8% | 5.9% | 12.5% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.2% | 4.5% | 5.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
- 70 Romania 3.5% compare
- 70 Saudi Arabia 3.5% compare
- 73 Azerbaijan 3.0% compare
- 73 Dominican Republic 3.0% compare
- 73 Morocco 3.0% compare
More health data for Bolivia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.3723 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 1,250 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.2082 % 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 0.049 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.2019 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0508 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Bolivia?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Bolivia was 3.4% in 2016, 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 recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2016.
- How does Bolivia rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Bolivia ranks 72nd out of 96 countries with data for 2016.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia 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 (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Prevalence of underweight children is the percentage of children 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.