Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Turkey
Turkey: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) was 1.5% in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Turkey, 1993–2018
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
Turkey recorded 1.5% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Turkey peaked at 9.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2018.
Turkey ranks 92nd of 96 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 8.7% | — |
| 1995 | 9.0% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 7.0% | -22.2% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -50.0% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -45.7% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | +21.1% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -34.8% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 1.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 37% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 1.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.6%, 58% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.2% | 7.0% | 9.0% | 3 |
| 2000s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 89 Uruguay 1.8% compare
- 89 Uzbekistan 1.8% compare
- 91 Tunisia 1.6% compare
- 93 United Kingdom 0.6% compare
- 94 Chile 0.5% compare
- 95 South Korea 0.4% compare
- 95 United States 0.4% compare
More health data for Turkey
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5275 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 858 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -3.16 % 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 0.0298 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0312 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Turkey?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Turkey was 1.5% in 2018, 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 Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 9.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2018.
- How does Turkey rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Turkey ranks 92nd out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Turkey 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.