Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Uganda
Uganda: Prevalence of underweight, weight for age was 9.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Uganda, 1988–2022
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
Uganda recorded 9.7% for prevalence of underweight, weight for age in 2022.
That represents a change of up 27.6% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Uganda peaked at 21.3% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2020.
That places Uganda 49th out of 96 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 19.7% | — |
| 1995 | 21.3% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 19.2% | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | -15.1% |
| 2009 | 15.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -10.2% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -15.6% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | -24.8% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | +18.2% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | -26.0% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | +27.6% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 9.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 57% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 9.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 68% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 19.7% | 19.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 21.3% | 21.3% | 21.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 17.1% | 15.7% | 19.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 7.7% | 14.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 8.6% | 7.6% | 9.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More health data for Uganda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 853.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,666 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 111 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 0.0787 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 Uganda?
- Prevalence of underweight, weight for age in Uganda was 9.7% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1995.
- What is the lowest prevalence of underweight, weight for age recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2020.
- How does Uganda rank for prevalence of underweight, weight for age?
- Uganda ranks 49th out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of underweight, weight for age rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.