Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income

Lower middle income: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 17.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
17.8%
Change on year
down 2.6%
Rank
3rd
of 14 groups
All-time high
32.3%
in 2000
All-time low
17.8%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 32.3 % of children under 52001: 31.6 % of children under 52002: 30.8 % of children under 52003: 30.1 % of children under 52004: 29.4 % of children under 52005: 28.8 % of children under 52006: 28.1 % of children under 52007: 27.4 % of children under 52008: 26.8 % of children under 52009: 26.1 % of children under 52010: 25.5 % of children under 52011: 24.9 % of children under 52012: 24.3 % of children under 52013: 23.7 % of children under 52014: 23.1 % of children under 52015: 22.5 % of children under 52016: 21.9 % of children under 52017: 21.4 % of children under 52018: 20.8 % of children under 52019: 20.3 % of children under 52020: 19.8 % of children under 52021: 19.2 % of children under 52022: 18.7 % of children under 52023: 18.2 % of children under 52024: 17.8 % 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

Lower middle income recorded 17.8% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income peaked at 32.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2024.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Lower middle income, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 32.3%
2001 31.6% -2.2%
2002 30.8% -2.3%
2003 30.1% -2.3%
2004 29.4% -2.3%
2005 28.8% -2.3%
2006 28.1% -2.3%
2007 27.4% -2.3%
2008 26.8% -2.4%
2009 26.1% -2.4%
2010 25.5% -2.4%
2011 24.9% -2.4%
2012 24.3% -2.5%
2013 23.7% -2.5%
2014 23.1% -2.5%
2015 22.5% -2.5%
2016 21.9% -2.5%
2017 21.4% -2.6%
2018 20.8% -2.6%
2019 20.3% -2.6%
2020 19.8% -2.6%
2021 19.2% -2.6%
2022 18.7% -2.7%
2023 18.2% -2.7%
2024 17.8% -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.1% 26.1% 32.3% 10
2010s 22.8% 20.3% 25.5% 10
2020s 18.7% 17.8% 19.8% 5

Countries ranked near Lower middle income

  1. 1 Yemen 40.7% compare
  2. 2 Niger 34.6% compare
  3. 3 Timor-Leste 31.9% compare
  4. 4 India 31.5% compare
  5. 5 Burundi 28.3% compare
  6. 6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 25.0% compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More health data for Lower middle income

All data for Lower middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income?
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Lower middle income was 17.8% 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 Lower middle income?
The highest recorded value was 32.3% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Lower middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2024.
How does Lower middle income rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
Lower middle income ranks 3rd out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Lower middle income?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lower middle income 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 Lower middle income. 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 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-underweight-weight-for-age-percent-of-children-under-5/lower-middle-income/

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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.