Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in South Asia
South Asia: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) was 25.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in South Asia, 2000–2024
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
The most recent figure for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in South Asia is 25.2%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 22.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in South Asia peaked at 44.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 25.2%, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in South Asia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 44.7% | — |
| 2001 | 43.8% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 42.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 42.0% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 41.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 39.4% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 38.5% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 37.7% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 36.8% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 36.0% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 35.2% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 34.3% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 33.5% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 32.7% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 31.1% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 30.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 29.6% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 28.8% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 28.1% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 26.6% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 25.9% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 25.2% | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.7% | 36.8% | 44.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.4% | 28.8% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.7% | 25.2% | 28.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 2.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0391 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.041 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 0.9874 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in South Asia?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in South Asia was 25.2% in 2024, 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.2% in 2024.
- How does South Asia rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- South Asia ranks 1st out of 14 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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 — 25 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.