Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 16.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burkina Faso, 1993–2021
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
Burkina Faso recorded 16.9% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.1% on the previous year and down 32.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burkina Faso peaked at 30.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 12.7%, in 2020.
That places Burkina Faso 23rd out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 28.7% | — |
| 1999 | 30.9% | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 26.0% | -15.9% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 20.9% | -14.0% |
| 2014 | 20.0% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 22.8% | +14.0% |
| 2016 | 18.9% | -17.1% |
| 2017 | 16.2% | -14.3% |
| 2018 | 17.7% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 16.4% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 12.7% | -22.6% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | +33.1% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 16.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 16.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 1.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.8% | 28.7% | 30.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 26.0% | 26.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 20.8% | 16.2% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.8% | 12.7% | 16.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More health data for Burkina Faso
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8925 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,142 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,085 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8681 % 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 0.0693 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7133 % 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 in Burkina Faso?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burkina Faso was 16.9% 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 recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.7% in 2020.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Burkina Faso ranks 23rd out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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.