Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (crude estimate) (%) by country
Countries reporting
198
Highest
38.6%
Eritrea
Lowest
0.3%
Tonga
Median
3.2%
Years covered
45
1980–2024
Data points
9,495
What the numbers show
Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (crude estimate) (%) is currently reported for 198 countries. The highest value is 38.6% in Eritrea; the lowest is 0.3% in Tonga.
The median across all reporting countries is 3.2%, and the mean is 5.4%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 135.
Over the past decade 67 countries rose and 131 fell. The largest increase was in American Samoa (up 35.9%), and the largest decrease in Bhutan (down 49.4%).
Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (crude estimate): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eritrea | 38.6% | 2024 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 21.8% | 2024 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 3 | Central African Republic | 20.8% | 2024 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 4 | Timor-Leste | 20.7% | 2024 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 5 | Somalia | 19.5% | 2024 | up 3.0% | falling |
| 6 | Niger | 19.3% | 2024 | up 6.6% | falling |
| 7 | Madagascar | 17.8% | 2024 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 8 | Senegal | 17.2% | 2024 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 9 | South Sudan | 17.2% | 2024 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 10 | Sudan | 16.7% | 2024 | up 4.7% | falling |
| 11 | Burundi | 16.6% | 2024 | up 4.9% | falling |
| 12 | Chad | 16.2% | 2024 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 13 | Myanmar | 15.3% | 2024 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 14 | Congo | 14.2% | 2024 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 15 | Yemen | 13.6% | 2024 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 16 | Botswana | 13.0% | 2024 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 17 | Djibouti | 12.9% | 2024 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 18 | Namibia | 12.9% | 2024 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 19 | Gambia | 12.5% | 2024 | down 15.7% | falling |
| 20 | India | 12.3% | 2024 | down 41.6% | falling |
| 21 | Kenya | 12.3% | 2024 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 22 | Bangladesh | 12.3% | 2024 | down 41.1% | falling |
| 23 | Haiti | 11.7% | 2024 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 24 | Cambodia | 11.6% | 2024 | down 20.5% | falling |
| 25 | Sri Lanka | 11.6% | 2024 | down 30.2% | falling |
| 26 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 11.3% | 2024 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 27 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 11.2% | 2024 | down 26.5% | falling |
| 28 | Burkina Faso | 11.1% | 2024 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 29 | Viet Nam | 11.0% | 2024 | down 39.2% | falling |
| 30 | Uganda | 10.7% | 2024 | up 3.0% | falling |
| 31 | Guinea-Bissau | 10.3% | 2024 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 32 | Mali | 10.1% | 2024 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 33 | Mozambique | 10.0% | 2024 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 34 | Philippines | 9.8% | 2024 | down 15.0% | falling |
| 35 | Guinea | 9.8% | 2024 | down 12.4% | falling |
| 36 | Angola | 9.6% | 2024 | down 11.7% | falling |
| 37 | Nepal | 9.6% | 2024 | down 34.2% | falling |
| 38 | Nigeria | 9.5% | 2024 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 39 | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | 9.3% | 2024 | down 23.7% | falling |
| 40 | Equatorial Guinea | 9.3% | 2024 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 41 | Japan | 9.1% | 2024 | up 3.9% | rising |
| 42 | Rwanda | 9.0% | 2024 | up 3.3% | falling |
| 43 | Lesotho | 8.8% | 2024 | up 8.7% | falling |
| 44 | Indonesia | 8.7% | 2024 | down 27.2% | falling |
| 45 | Mauritania | 8.4% | 2024 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 46 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 8.2% | 2024 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 47 | Zambia | 8.1% | 2024 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 48 | Benin | 7.9% | 2024 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 49 | Pakistan | 7.6% | 2024 | down 38.3% | falling |
| 50 | Malawi | 7.6% | 2024 | down 6.7% | falling |
| 51 | Togo | 7.6% | 2024 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 52 | Côte d'Ivoire | 7.5% | 2024 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 53 | Ghana | 7.5% | 2024 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 54 | Zimbabwe | 7.0% | 2024 | down 8.9% | falling |
| 55 | Guyana | 7.0% | 2024 | down 8.9% | falling |
| 56 | Gabon | 6.9% | 2024 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 57 | Comoros | 6.5% | 2024 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 58 | Sao Tome and Principe | 6.4% | 2024 | down 0.1% | falling |
| 59 | Mauritius | 6.4% | 2024 | up 3.5% | falling |
| 60 | Singapore | 6.2% | 2024 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 61 | Thailand | 6.1% | 2024 | down 17.3% | falling |
| 62 | Afghanistan | 6.1% | 2024 | down 41.8% | falling |
| 63 | Cameroon | 6.1% | 2024 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 64 | Maldives | 5.9% | 2024 | down 47.2% | falling |
| 65 | Liberia | 5.9% | 2024 | down 13.9% | falling |
| 66 | Sierra Leone | 5.8% | 2024 | down 30.9% | falling |
| 67 | Morocco | 5.5% | 2024 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 68 | Malaysia | 5.5% | 2024 | down 24.4% | falling |
| 69 | South Africa | 5.4% | 2024 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 70 | Cape Verde | 5.1% | 2024 | down 16.2% | falling |
| 71 | Tajikistan | 4.8% | 2024 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 72 | Trinidad and Tobago | 4.8% | 2024 | down 12.0% | falling |
| 73 | Libya | 4.8% | 2024 | up 4.1% | falling |
| 74 | Oman | 4.7% | 2024 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 75 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | 4.7% | 2024 | up 33.9% | falling |
| 76 | Eswatini | 4.7% | 2024 | up 5.0% | falling |
| 77 | Saudi Arabia | 4.6% | 2024 | up 2.6% | rising |
| 78 | Republic of Korea | 4.3% | 2024 | up 5.8% | falling |
| 79 | Algeria | 4.3% | 2024 | down 24.2% | falling |
| 80 | Dominican Republic | 4.3% | 2024 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 81 | Antigua and Barbuda | 4.2% | 2024 | down 11.9% | falling |
| 82 | Bermuda | 4.1% | 2024 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 83 | Dominica | 4.1% | 2024 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 84 | Seychelles | 4.0% | 2024 | down 13.3% | falling |
| 85 | China | 3.9% | 2024 | down 31.6% | falling |
| 86 | Tunisia | 3.9% | 2024 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 87 | Jamaica | 3.9% | 2024 | down 11.5% | falling |
| 88 | Grenada | 3.8% | 2024 | down 12.5% | falling |
| 89 | Cuba | 3.7% | 2024 | down 28.9% | falling |
| 90 | Syrian Arab Republic | 3.7% | 2024 | up 24.9% | falling |
| 91 | Fiji | 3.7% | 2024 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 92 | Israel | 3.7% | 2024 | up 13.7% | falling |
| 93 | Switzerland | 3.5% | 2024 | up 3.8% | falling |
| 94 | Saint Lucia | 3.5% | 2024 | down 18.0% | falling |
| 95 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 3.5% | 2024 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 96 | France | 3.4% | 2024 | up 13.8% | falling |
| 97 | Iraq | 3.4% | 2024 | up 4.6% | falling |
| 98 | Palestine, State of | 3.2% | 2024 | up 22.1% | falling |
| 99 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 3.2% | 2024 | down 35.9% | falling |
| 100 | Bahamas | 3.2% | 2024 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 101 | Kazakhstan | 3.2% | 2024 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 102 | Jordan | 3.2% | 2024 | up 19.3% | falling |
| 103 | Mongolia | 3.0% | 2024 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 104 | Barbados | 3.0% | 2024 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 105 | Brunei Darussalam | 2.9% | 2024 | down 42.7% | falling |
| 106 | Turkmenistan | 2.9% | 2024 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 107 | Nicaragua | 2.9% | 2024 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 108 | Bahrain | 2.9% | 2024 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 109 | Armenia | 2.8% | 2024 | up 0.8% | falling |
| 110 | Bhutan | 2.8% | 2024 | down 49.4% | volatile |
| 111 | Serbia | 2.8% | 2024 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 112 | Honduras | 2.7% | 2024 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 113 | Papua New Guinea | 2.7% | 2024 | down 0.2% | falling |
| 114 | Guatemala | 2.7% | 2024 | up 18.3% | falling |
| 115 | Colombia | 2.6% | 2024 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 116 | El Salvador | 2.6% | 2024 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 117 | United Arab Emirates | 2.6% | 2024 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 118 | Greenland | 2.6% | 2024 | up 8.4% | falling |
| 119 | Bulgaria | 2.6% | 2024 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 120 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.6% | 2024 | down 1.3% | falling |
| 121 | Puerto Rico | 2.5% | 2024 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 122 | Brazil | 2.5% | 2024 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 123 | Panama | 2.4% | 2024 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 124 | Andorra | 2.4% | 2024 | up 14.6% | falling |
| 125 | Uzbekistan | 2.4% | 2024 | down 20.3% | falling |
| 126 | Lebanon | 2.4% | 2024 | up 5.3% | falling |
| 127 | Azerbaijan | 2.4% | 2024 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 128 | Vanuatu | 2.3% | 2024 | down 5.3% | falling |
| 129 | Georgia | 2.3% | 2024 | down 15.3% | falling |
| 130 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2.3% | 2024 | down 15.7% | falling |
| 131 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 2.3% | 2024 | up 12.9% | falling |
| 132 | Türkiye | 2.3% | 2024 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 133 | Marshall Islands | 2.2% | 2024 | up 25.7% | falling |
| 134 | Belize | 2.1% | 2024 | down 18.5% | falling |
| 135 | Costa Rica | 2.1% | 2024 | down 10.0% | falling |
| 136 | Cyprus | 2.1% | 2024 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 137 | Romania | 2.1% | 2024 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 138 | Solomon Islands | 2.1% | 2024 | down 5.2% | falling |
| 139 | Canada | 2.0% | 2024 | up 11.8% | falling |
| 140 | Qatar | 2.0% | 2024 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 141 | Denmark | 2.0% | 2024 | up 6.3% | falling |
| 142 | Italy | 1.9% | 2024 | up 10.8% | falling |
| 143 | Luxembourg | 1.9% | 2024 | up 6.1% | falling |
| 144 | Latvia | 1.9% | 2024 | down 15.1% | falling |
| 145 | Slovakia | 1.9% | 2024 | down 13.8% | falling |
| 146 | Austria | 1.9% | 2024 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 147 | Belgium | 1.9% | 2024 | up 10.0% | falling |
| 148 | Uruguay | 1.9% | 2024 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 149 | United States of America | 1.8% | 2024 | up 7.8% | falling |
| 150 | North Macedonia | 1.8% | 2024 | down 14.8% | falling |
| 151 | Lithuania | 1.8% | 2024 | up 1.6% | rising |
| 152 | Egypt | 1.7% | 2024 | up 13.5% | falling |
| 153 | Hungary | 1.7% | 2024 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 154 | Iceland | 1.7% | 2024 | up 7.4% | falling |
| 155 | Belarus | 1.7% | 2024 | down 22.3% | falling |
| 156 | Paraguay | 1.7% | 2024 | down 30.5% | falling |
| 157 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1.7% | 2024 | up 14.2% | falling |
| 158 | Slovenia | 1.7% | 2024 | up 2.7% | rising |
| 159 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.7% | 2024 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 160 | Spain | 1.7% | 2024 | up 25.0% | falling |
| 161 | Montenegro | 1.6% | 2024 | down 18.3% | falling |
| 162 | Republic of Moldova | 1.6% | 2024 | down 25.6% | falling |
| 163 | Russian Federation | 1.6% | 2024 | down 28.5% | falling |
| 164 | French Polynesia | 1.6% | 2024 | up 13.9% | falling |
| 165 | Australia | 1.6% | 2024 | up 7.8% | falling |
| 166 | Poland | 1.5% | 2024 | down 24.7% | falling |
| 167 | Mexico | 1.5% | 2024 | down 3.2% | volatile |
| 168 | Palau | 1.5% | 2024 | up 17.6% | falling |
| 169 | Argentina | 1.5% | 2024 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 170 | Estonia | 1.5% | 2024 | down 15.9% | falling |
| 171 | Malta | 1.5% | 2024 | up 10.5% | falling |
| 172 | Ukraine | 1.5% | 2024 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 173 | Netherlands | 1.5% | 2024 | up 11.3% | falling |
| 174 | Croatia | 1.4% | 2024 | down 16.4% | falling |
| 175 | Sweden | 1.4% | 2024 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 176 | Ecuador | 1.4% | 2024 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 177 | Albania | 1.4% | 2024 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 178 | Portugal | 1.4% | 2024 | up 8.0% | falling |
| 179 | Czechia | 1.3% | 2024 | down 5.0% | falling |
| 180 | Germany | 1.3% | 2024 | up 7.9% | falling |
| 181 | New Zealand | 1.3% | 2024 | up 0.7% | falling |
| 182 | Norway | 1.3% | 2024 | up 9.0% | falling |
| 183 | Greece | 1.3% | 2024 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 184 | Finland | 1.2% | 2024 | up 3.8% | falling |
| 185 | Ireland | 1.2% | 2024 | up 21.7% | falling |
| 186 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 1.2% | 2024 | down 32.8% | falling |
| 187 | Kiribati | 1.1% | 2024 | up 20.1% | falling |
| 188 | Peru | 1.0% | 2024 | down 27.6% | falling |
| 189 | Kuwait | 0.9% | 2024 | down 14.2% | volatile |
| 190 | Tuvalu | 0.8% | 2024 | up 11.5% | falling |
| 191 | Niue | 0.8% | 2024 | up 22.0% | falling |
| 192 | Chile | 0.6% | 2024 | down 25.5% | volatile |
| 193 | Cook Islands | 0.5% | 2024 | up 16.2% | falling |
| 194 | Tokelau | 0.5% | 2024 | up 5.6% | falling |
| 195 | Samoa | 0.5% | 2024 | up 23.9% | falling |
| 196 | American Samoa | 0.4% | 2024 | up 35.9% | falling |
| 197 | Naoero | 0.3% | 2024 | up 9.2% | falling |
| 198 | Tonga | 0.3% | 2024 | up 14.4% | falling |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Low income (World Bank) 13.8%
- Sur 6.6%
- South-East Asia (WHO region) 12.0%
- Mus 6.4%
- Africa (WHO region) 11.3%
- Lower-middle income (World Bank) 10.6%
- World 6.7%
- Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) 6.1%
- Western Pacific (WHO region) 5.4%
- Upper-middle income (World Bank) 4.0%
- High income (World Bank) 2.7%
- Americas (WHO region) 2.1%
- Europe (WHO region) 1.9%