Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Peru
Peru: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 2.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Peru, 1991–2023
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
Peru recorded 2.7% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.5% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Peru peaked at 8.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2021.
That places Peru 80th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Peru, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.8% | — |
| 1996 | 5.7% | -35.2% |
| 1997 | 7.6% | +33.3% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | -17.1% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | +23.8% |
| 2000 | 5.2% | -33.3% |
| 2001 | 6.0% | +15.4% |
| 2005 | 5.4% | -10.0% |
| 2007 | 4.3% | -20.4% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -19.0% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +5.9% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -11.1% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -18.8% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +26.9% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | -33.3% |
| 2021 | 2.1% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | +14.3% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | +12.5% |
Peru compared with similar countries
- Peru's 2.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 67% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Peru's 2.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 73% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.2% | 5.7% | 8.8% | 5 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.3% | 6.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Peru
More health data for Peru
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.88 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5045 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,235 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 782 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3081 % 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 0.038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.302 % 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 Peru?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Peru was 2.7% in 2023, 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 Peru?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Peru?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 2021.
- How does Peru rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Peru ranks 80th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Peru?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Peru 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.