Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi
Malawi: Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese was 10.5 in 2014. ▼ Falling
Latest (2014)
10.5
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
36th
of 198 countries
All-time high
15.9
in 1975
All-time low
10.5
in 2014
Years of data
40
1975–2014
Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi, 1975–2014
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 10.5 for share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 40 years on record.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi peaked at 15.9 in 1975 and was at its lowest, 10.5, in 2014.
Malawi ranks 36th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 15.9 | — |
| 1976 | 15.8 | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 15.6 | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 15.4 | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 15.3 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 15.1 | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 15 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 14.8 | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 14.7 | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 14.6 | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 14.5 | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 14.4 | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 14.2 | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 14.1 | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 14 | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 13.9 | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 13.8 | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 13.8 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 13.6 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 13.6 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 13.4 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 13.3 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 13.2 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 13 | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 12.9 | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 12.8 | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 12.6 | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 12.5 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 12.3 | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 12.2 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 12 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 11.9 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 11.7 | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 11.5 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 11.4 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.2 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 11 | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 10.8 | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 10.7 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 10.5 | -1.9% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 10.5 is below the median for low income countries, which is 11.8, 89% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 10.5 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.85, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.6 | 15.3 | 15.9 | 5 |
| 1980s | 14.54 | 14 | 15.1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.45 | 12.9 | 13.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.09 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.84 | 10.5 | 11.2 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % 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 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi?
- Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese in Malawi was 10.5 in 2014, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 15.9 in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5 in 2014.
- How does Malawi rank for share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese?
- Malawi ranks 36th out of 198 countries with data for 2014.
- Is share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women defined as underweight healthy overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 40 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).