Weight-for-age <-2 SD in United States

United States: Weight-for-age <-2 SD was 0.4 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
0.4
Change on year
down 71.4%
World rank
94th
of 95 countries
All-time high
1.4
in 2016
All-time low
0.4
in 2018
Years of data
11
1991–2018

Weight-for-age <-2 SD in United States, 1991–2018

0.40.60.811.21.41991200420181991: 0.82000: 1.12002: 0.82004: 1.32006: 0.72008: 0.72010: 12012: 0.52014: 0.72016: 1.42018: 0.4

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

United States recorded 0.4 for weight-for-age <-2 sd in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 71.4% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, weight-for-age <-2 sd in United States peaked at 1.4 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.4, in 2018.

United States ranks 94th of 95 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.8 0.8 0.8 1
2000s 0.92 0.7 1.3 5
2010s 0.8 0.4 1.4 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 91 Türkiye 1.49 compare
  2. 92 United Kingdom 0.6 compare
  3. 93 Chile 0.5 compare
  4. 94 Korea 0.4 compare

See the full ranking of 95 places →

More health data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is weight-for-age <-2 sd in United States?
Weight-for-age <-2 sd in United States was 0.4 in 2018, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest weight-for-age <-2 sd recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 1.4 in 2016.
What is the lowest weight-for-age <-2 sd recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.4 in 2018.
How does United States rank for weight-for-age <-2 sd?
United States ranks 94th out of 95 countries with data for 2018.
Is weight-for-age <-2 sd rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States 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 — 11 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

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Weight-for-age <-2 SD in United States. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/weight-for-age-2-sd-underweight/united-states/

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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