Weight-for-age <-2 SD in Malawi

Malawi: Weight-for-age <-2 SD was 11.6 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
11.6
Change on year
up 7.1%
World rank
41st
of 95 countries
All-time high
26.5
in 1995
All-time low
10.83
in 2019
Years of data
16
1992–2020

Weight-for-age <-2 SD in Malawi, 1992–2020

01020301992200620201992: 24.41995: 26.51998: 23.52000: 21.52002: 21.72004: 18.62006: 15.62009: 11.72010: 13.92014: 16.72015: 11.82016: 14.62017: 12.32018: 11.52019: 10.82020: 11.6

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 11.6 for weight-for-age <-2 sd in 2020.

The figure is up 7.1% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, weight-for-age <-2 sd in Malawi peaked at 26.5 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 10.83, in 2019.

That places Malawi 41st out of 95 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 24.79 23.5 26.5 3
2000s 17.82 11.7 21.72 5
2010s 13.08 10.83 16.71 7
2020s 11.6 11.6 11.6 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 38 Sierra Leone 11.98 compare
  2. 39 Zambia 11.82 compare
  3. 40 Gambia 11.64 compare
  4. 42 Tanzania, United Republic of 11.43 compare
  5. 43 Oman 11.2 compare
  6. 44 Cameroon 11.03 compare

See the full ranking of 95 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is weight-for-age <-2 sd in Malawi?
Weight-for-age <-2 sd in Malawi was 11.6 in 2020, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest weight-for-age <-2 sd recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 26.5 in 1995.
What is the lowest weight-for-age <-2 sd recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 10.83 in 2019.
How does Malawi rank for weight-for-age <-2 sd?
Malawi ranks 41st out of 95 countries with data for 2020.
Is weight-for-age <-2 sd rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Weight-for-age <-2 SD (Underweight). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

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Weight-for-age <-2 SD in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/weight-for-age-2-sd-underweight/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Weight-for-age <-2 SD (Underweight)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
95 places, 950 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed