Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi
Burundi: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 28.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi, 1987–2024
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 in Burundi is 28.3%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi peaked at 39.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 2019.
That places Burundi 5th out of 96 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 30.4% | — |
| 2000 | 39.1% | +28.6% |
| 2005 | 35.2% | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 29.1% | -17.3% |
| 2012 | 27.9% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 29.3% | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 29.6% | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 27.0% | -8.8% |
| 2020 | 27.7% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 27.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 28.0% | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 28.3% | +1.1% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 28.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.7× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 28.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 2.0× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 30.4% | 30.4% | 30.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 35.2% | 39.1% | 2 |
| 2010s | 28.6% | 27.0% | 29.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 27.9% | 27.6% | 28.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
- 2 Niger 34.6% compare
- 3 Timor-Leste 31.9% compare
- 4 India 31.5% compare
- 6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 8 Lao People's Democratic Republic 24.3% compare
More health data for Burundi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 929.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,143 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 26 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.736 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0759 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7548 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Burundi was 28.3% in 2024, 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 Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 39.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 2019.
- How does Burundi rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Burundi ranks 5th out of 96 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burundi 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.