Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Niger
Niger: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 34.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Niger, 1985–2022
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
Niger recorded 34.6% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Niger peaked at 46.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2019.
That places Niger 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Niger, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 45.0% | — |
| 1992 | 38.7% | -14.0% |
| 1998 | 46.6% | +20.4% |
| 2000 | 43.1% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 35.6% | -17.4% |
| 2007 | 37.9% | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 34.6% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 33.5% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 40.0% | +19.4% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | -11.3% |
| 2013 | 33.1% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 34.6% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 35.8% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 32.0% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 37.5% | +17.2% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 33.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 34.6% | +4.2% |
Niger compared with similar countries
- Niger's 34.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 2.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Niger's 34.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 2.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.0% | 45.0% | 45.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.7% | 38.7% | 46.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 33.5% | 43.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 31.3% | 40.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 33.7% | 33.2% | 34.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Niger
More health data for Niger
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.58 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 887.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 22,995 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 15 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.54 % 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 0.0865 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.53 % 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 Niger?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Niger was 34.6% in 2022, 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 Niger?
- The highest recorded value was 46.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Niger?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2019.
- How does Niger rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Niger ranks 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Niger?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Niger 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.