Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America

United States of America: Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard was 1.1% in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
1.1%
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
189th
of 198 countries
All-time high
1.1%
in 2024
All-time low
0.8%
in 2008
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America, 1980–2024

00.250.50.7511.21980200220241980: 0.9291981: 0.9261982: 0.9251983: 0.9261984: 0.9281985: 0.9311986: 0.9351987: 0.9411988: 0.9481989: 0.9561990: 0.9651991: 0.9751992: 0.9841993: 0.9931994: 11995: 11996: 11997: 11998: 0.9961999: 0.9832000: 0.9642001: 0.9422002: 0.9182003: 0.8952004: 0.8752005: 0.862006: 0.8482007: 0.842008: 0.8382009: 0.842010: 0.8452011: 0.8542012: 0.8662013: 0.8812014: 0.8972015: 0.9142016: 0.9322017: 0.9512018: 0.972019: 0.9912020: 12021: 12022: 1.12023: 1.12024: 1.1

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2024, thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America stood at 1.1%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and up 26.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America peaked at 1.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2008.

United States of America ranks 189th of 198 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%) in United States of America, 1980 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1980 0.9%
1981 0.9% -0.2%
1982 0.9% -0.1%
1983 0.9% +0.0%
1984 0.9% +0.2%
1985 0.9% +0.3%
1986 0.9% +0.5%
1987 0.9% +0.6%
1988 0.9% +0.8%
1989 1.0% +0.9%
1990 1.0% +0.9%
1991 1.0% +1.0%
1992 1.0% +1.0%
1993 1.0% +0.9%
1994 1.0% +0.8%
1995 1.0% +0.5%
1996 1.0% +0.2%
1997 1.0% -0.3%
1998 1.0% -0.9%
1999 1.0% -1.4%
2000 1.0% -1.9%
2001 0.9% -2.3%
2002 0.9% -2.5%
2003 0.9% -2.5%
2004 0.9% -2.2%
2005 0.9% -1.8%
2006 0.8% -1.4%
2007 0.8% -0.9%
2008 0.8% -0.3%
2009 0.8% +0.2%
2010 0.8% +0.6%
2011 0.9% +1.0%
2012 0.9% +1.4%
2013 0.9% +1.7%
2014 0.9% +1.9%
2015 0.9% +1.9%
2016 0.9% +2.0%
2017 1.0% +1.9%
2018 1.0% +2.0%
2019 1.0% +2.2%
2020 1.0% +2.4%
2021 1.0% +2.6%
2022 1.1% +2.8%
2023 1.1% +2.9%
2024 1.1% +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.9% 0.9% 1.0% 10
1990s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 10
2000s 0.9% 0.8% 1.0% 10
2010s 0.9% 0.8% 1.0% 10
2020s 1.1% 1.0% 1.1% 5

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 186 Greenland 1.2% compare
  2. 187 Samoa 1.2% compare
  3. 188 Naoero 1.2% compare
  4. 190 Niue 1.1% compare
  5. 191 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.1% compare
  6. 192 Sweden 1.0% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More health data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America?
Thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America was 1.1% 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 United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 1.1% in 2024.
What is the lowest thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2008.
How does United States of America rank for thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard?
United States of America ranks 189th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
Is thinness among children and adolescents, bmi-for-age < -2 standard rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this United States of America 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/thinness-among-children-and-adolescents-bmi-for-age-2-standard-deviations-below-the/united-states/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/thinness-among-children-and-adolescents-bmi-for-age-2-standard-deviations-below-the/united-states/">Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard in United States of America</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard deviations below the median (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
211 places, 9,495 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed