Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Australia
Australia: Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard was 1.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.3%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
182nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
1.3%
in 2024
All-time low
0.9%
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Australia, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Australia recorded 1.3% for thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Australia peaked at 1.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1980.
That places Australia 182nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.9% | — |
| 1981 | 0.9% | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 0.9% | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 1.0% | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 1.0% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 1.1% | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 1.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 1.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 1.1% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 1.1% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 1.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.1% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.1% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.1% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 1.1% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 1.1% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 1.1% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 1.2% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 1.3% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.3% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 179 Republic of Korea 1.3% compare
- 180 Uruguay 1.3% compare
- 181 Micronesia (country) 1.3% compare
- 183 Greece 1.3% compare
- 184 American Samoa 1.2% compare
- 185 Ireland 1.2% compare
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.6511 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.086 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.5937 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0908 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Australia?
- Thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in Australia was 1.3% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1980.
- How does Australia rank for thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard?
- Australia ranks 182nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).