Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia

Somalia: Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) was 17.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
17.5%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
8th
of 198 countries
All-time high
21.0%
in 1980
All-time low
17.2%
in 2018
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia, 1980–2024

051015201980200220241980: 211981: 20.91982: 20.81983: 20.71984: 20.61985: 20.51986: 20.41987: 20.31988: 20.21989: 20.11990: 201991: 19.91992: 19.81993: 19.71994: 19.61995: 19.61996: 19.51997: 19.41998: 19.31999: 19.22000: 19.12001: 192002: 18.92003: 18.82004: 18.72005: 18.62006: 18.42007: 18.32008: 18.22009: 18.12010: 17.92011: 17.82012: 17.62013: 17.52014: 17.42015: 17.32016: 17.32017: 17.32018: 17.22019: 17.32020: 17.32021: 17.32022: 17.42023: 17.42024: 17.5

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2024, underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia stood at 17.5%.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia peaked at 21.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 2018.

That places Somalia 8th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia, year by year

Annual values for Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) (%) in Somalia, 1980 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1980 21.0%
1981 20.9% -0.5%
1982 20.8% -0.5%
1983 20.7% -0.5%
1984 20.6% -0.5%
1985 20.5% -0.5%
1986 20.4% -0.5%
1987 20.3% -0.5%
1988 20.2% -0.5%
1989 20.1% -0.5%
1990 20.0% -0.5%
1991 19.9% -0.5%
1992 19.8% -0.5%
1993 19.7% -0.4%
1994 19.6% -0.4%
1995 19.6% -0.4%
1996 19.5% -0.4%
1997 19.4% -0.4%
1998 19.3% -0.5%
1999 19.2% -0.5%
2000 19.1% -0.5%
2001 19.0% -0.5%
2002 18.9% -0.6%
2003 18.8% -0.6%
2004 18.7% -0.6%
2005 18.6% -0.6%
2006 18.4% -0.7%
2007 18.3% -0.7%
2008 18.2% -0.7%
2009 18.1% -0.7%
2010 17.9% -0.7%
2011 17.8% -0.8%
2012 17.6% -0.8%
2013 17.5% -0.7%
2014 17.4% -0.6%
2015 17.3% -0.5%
2016 17.3% -0.3%
2017 17.3% -0.2%
2018 17.2% -0.1%
2019 17.3% +0.1%
2020 17.3% +0.2%
2021 17.3% +0.3%
2022 17.4% +0.3%
2023 17.4% +0.3%
2024 17.5% +0.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 20.5% 20.1% 21.0% 10
1990s 19.6% 19.2% 20.0% 10
2000s 18.6% 18.1% 19.1% 10
2010s 17.5% 17.2% 17.9% 10
2020s 17.4% 17.3% 17.5% 5

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 5 Niger 19.3% compare
  2. 6 Madagascar 18.4% compare
  3. 7 Burundi 17.9% compare
  4. 9 South Sudan 17.4% compare
  5. 10 Myanmar 15.7% compare
  6. 11 Senegal 15.7% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More health data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia?
Underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia was 17.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was 21.0% in 1980.
What is the lowest underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 2018.
How does Somalia rank for underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate)?
Somalia ranks 8th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
Is underweight among adults, bmi < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Somalia data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) in Somalia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/underweight-among-adults-bmi-18-5-kg-m2-age-standardized-estimate-percent/somalia-fed-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) (%)
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