Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lesotho
Lesotho: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 12.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lesotho, 1992–2024
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 Lesotho stood at 12.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lesotho peaked at 18.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 2014.
That places Lesotho 37th out of 96 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 13.8% | — |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +37.0% |
| 2004 | 16.6% | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 13.4% | -19.3% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | -21.6% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.5% | +19.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 12.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 12.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 87% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.4% | 13.8% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 13.4% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,227 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % 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 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % 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 Lesotho?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lesotho was 12.5% 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 2014.
- How does Lesotho rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Lesotho ranks 37th out of 96 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.