Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 3.0% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
3.0%
World rank
73rd
of 96 countries
All-time high
9.1%
in 1986
All-time low
3.0%
in 2019
Years of data
9
1986–2019

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic, 1986–2019

2468101986200220191986: 9.1 % of children under 51991: 8.4 % of children under 51996: 4.7 % of children under 52000: 3.3 % of children under 52002: 4.2 % of children under 52006: 3.9 % of children under 52007: 3.4 % of children under 52013: 4 % of children under 52019: 3 % 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

Dominican Republic recorded 3.0% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

The figure is down 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic peaked at 9.1% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2019.

Dominican Republic ranks 73rd of 96 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Dominican Republic, 1986 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1986 9.1%
1991 8.4% -7.7%
1996 4.7% -44.0%
2000 3.3% -29.8%
2002 4.2% +27.3%
2006 3.9% -7.1%
2007 3.4% -12.8%
2013 4.0% +17.6%
2019 3.0% -25.0%

Dominican Republic compared with similar countries

  • Dominican Republic's 3.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 74% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
  • Dominican Republic's 3.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 81% of the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.1% 9.1% 9.1% 1
1990s 6.6% 4.7% 8.4% 2
2000s 3.7% 3.3% 4.2% 4
2010s 3.5% 3.0% 4.0% 2

Countries ranked near Dominican Republic

  1. 70 Romania 3.5% compare
  2. 70 Saudi Arabia 3.5% compare
  3. 72 Bolivia 3.4% compare
  4. 73 Azerbaijan 3.0% compare
  5. 73 Morocco 3.0% compare
  6. 76 Costa Rica 2.9% compare
  7. 76 Kyrgyzstan 2.9% compare
  8. 76 Venezuela 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More health data for Dominican Republic

All data for Dominican Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic was 3.0% in 2019, 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 Dominican Republic?
The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 1986.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Dominican Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2019.
How does Dominican Republic rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
Dominican Republic ranks 73rd out of 96 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Dominican Republic?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Dominican Republic 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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Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Dominican Republic. 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 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/dominican-republic/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% 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
110 places, 1,307 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

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.