Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives
Maldives: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 14.8% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives, 1994–2017
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 2017, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives stood at 14.8%. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives peaked at 39.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2017.
That places Maldives 33rd out of 96 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 32.5% | — |
| 1995 | 39.0% | +20.0% |
| 1997 | 37.9% | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 25.7% | -32.2% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | -31.1% |
| 2017 | 14.8% | -16.4% |
Maldives compared with similar countries
- Maldives's 14.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 3.7× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Maldives's 14.8% is below the median for South Asia, which is 17.7%, 84% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.5% | 32.5% | 39.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 17.7% | 25.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 14.8% | 14.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More health data for Maldives
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -2.69 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,560 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0264 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -3.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Maldives was 14.8% in 2017, 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 39.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2017.
- How does Maldives rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Maldives ranks 33rd out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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 — 6 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.