Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 0.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia, 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 Europe & Central Asia stood at 0.7%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.4% on the previous year and down 47.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 3.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.3% | — |
| 2001 | 3.1% | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 2.6% | -6.1% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 2.3% | -6.1% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 1.3% | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -6.3% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | -6.7% |
| 2023 | 0.8% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 0.7% | -6.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.6% | 1.9% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
- 13 Ethiopia 21.2% compare
- 14 Benin 19.6% compare
- 15 Myanmar 19.5% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 18.8% compare
- 17 Afghanistan 18.4% compare
- 17 Central African Republic 18.4% compare
More health data for Europe & Central Asia
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 0.9265 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0339 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0299 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0346 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate 0.6344 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0352 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Europe & Central Asia was 0.7% 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 Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2024.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 14th out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.