Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda
Rwanda: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 7.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda, 1992–2020
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 2020, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda stood at 7.7%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 37.4% on the previous year and down 34.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda peaked at 24.2% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 7.7%, in 2020.
Rwanda ranks 56th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 24.2% | — |
| 1996 | 22.6% | -6.6% |
| 2000 | 20.3% | -10.2% |
| 2005 | 17.9% | -11.8% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | -20.1% |
| 2010 | 11.7% | -18.2% |
| 2012 | 10.9% | -6.8% |
| 2015 | 9.6% | -11.9% |
| 2018 | 12.3% | +28.1% |
| 2020 | 7.7% | -37.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 7.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 46% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 7.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 54% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.4% | 22.6% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.5% | 14.3% | 20.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | 11.1% | 9.6% | 12.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More health data for Rwanda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.891 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 860.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,738 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9441 % 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 0.065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9697 % 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 Rwanda?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Rwanda was 7.7% in 2020, 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 24.2% in 1992.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7% in 2020.
- How does Rwanda rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Rwanda ranks 56th out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.