Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 4.6% in 2012. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua, 1993–2012
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 2012, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua stood at 4.6%.
That represents a change of down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua peaked at 10.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2004.
That places Nicaragua 64th out of 96 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 9.6% | — |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -25.2% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -55.8% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | +82.4% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -19.3% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 4.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 40% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 4.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 1.2× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 3.4% | 7.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More health data for Nicaragua
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,175 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3497 % 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 0.0458 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.323 % 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 Nicaragua?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Nicaragua was 4.6% in 2012, 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2004.
- How does Nicaragua rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Nicaragua ranks 64th out of 96 countries with data for 2012.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.