Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 5.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific, 2000–2024
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
In 2024, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific stood at 5.4%.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 11.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2021.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.7% | — |
| 2001 | 11.2% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 10.8% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 9.9% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | -4.1% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 7.5% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 6.9% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 6.6% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 5.9% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 5.7% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 5.5% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 5.4% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 5.4% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 5.4% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 5.4% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.8% | 8.1% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.5% | 7.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 8 Laos 24.3% compare
- 9 Pakistan 23.1% compare
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
More health data for East Asia & Pacific
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 1.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0351 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 1.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0412 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0386 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -4.35 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in East Asia & Pacific was 5.4% 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 East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2021.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 9th out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.