Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male (% of children under 5) - Country Ranking

Definition: Prevalence of underweight, male, is the percentage of boys under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's new child growth standards released in 2006.

Source: World Health Organization, Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition. Country-level data are unadjusted data from national surveys, and thus may not be comparable across countries.

See also: Thematic map, Time series comparison

Find indicator:
Rank Country Value Year
1 Yemen 40.90 2013
2 Eritrea 38.90 2010
3 Timor-Leste 38.70 2013
4 Sudan 34.60 2014
5 Niger 33.40 2019
6 India 32.50 2017
7 Chad 31.40 2019
8 Djibouti 31.10 2012
9 Burundi 29.00 2019
10 Papua New Guinea 28.90 2010
11 Madagascar 28.40 2018
12 Dem. Rep. Congo 25.80 2017
13 Nepal 25.00 2019
14 Pakistan 24.00 2018
14 Somalia 24.00 2009
16 Cambodia 23.30 2014
17 Ethiopia 23.00 2019
18 Bangladesh 22.40 2019
19 Nigeria 21.80 2020
20 Lao PDR 21.60 2017
20 Central African Republic 21.60 2019
22 Philippines 21.50 2015
23 Mauritania 21.20 2018
24 Angola 21.00 2015
25 Sri Lanka 20.60 2016
26 Mali 20.20 2019
26 Guinea-Bissau 20.20 2019
28 Afghanistan 19.50 2018
29 Indonesia 18.80 2018
30 Myanmar 18.70 2018
31 Burkina Faso 18.30 2019
32 Benin 17.80 2018
33 Guinea 17.70 2018
34 Comoros 17.20 2012
35 Mozambique 16.70 2015
36 Solomon Islands 16.20 2015
37 Togo 16.10 2017
37 Senegal 16.10 2019
39 Tanzania 15.70 2018
40 Malaysia 15.50 2019
41 Namibia 15.00 2013
42 Sierra Leone 14.30 2019
43 Ghana 14.10 2017
44 Côte d'Ivoire 14.00 2016
45 Zambia 13.50 2018
46 Congo 13.30 2014
46 Bhutan 13.30 2010
48 Libya 13.00 2014
48 Vanuatu 13.00 2013
50 The Gambia 12.80 2020
51 Guatemala 12.60 2015
52 Kenya 12.40 2014
52 Botswana 12.40 2007
54 Cameroon 12.20 2018
55 Vietnam 12.10 2010
56 Lesotho 12.00 2018
57 Syrian Arab Republic 11.80 2010
58 Liberia 11.40 2019
59 Uganda 11.30 2016
60 Oman 11.10 2017
61 Brunei 10.80 2009
62 Haiti 10.70 2017
63 Zimbabwe 10.30 2019
64 Malawi 9.80 2019
65 Dem. People's Rep. Korea 9.60 2017
66 Guyana 9.30 2014
67 Rwanda 9.00 2020
68 Thailand 8.70 2019
69 Tajikistan 8.10 2017
69 Kiribati 8.10 2018
71 Gabon 8.00 2012
72 Egypt 7.70 2014
72 Suriname 7.70 2018
72 Honduras 7.70 2012
75 Eswatini 7.30 2014
76 Nauru 6.90 2007
77 South Africa 6.70 2017
78 São Tomé and Principe 6.20 2019
79 Trinidad and Tobago 6.10 2011
79 Ecuador 6.10 2019
79 Saudi Arabia 6.10 2004
82 Equatorial Guinea 5.90 2011
83 El Salvador 5.40 2014
83 Lebanon 5.40 2004
85 Belize 5.00 2015
85 Nicaragua 5.00 2012
87 Azerbaijan 4.90 2013
87 Fiji 4.90 2004
89 Jamaica 4.80 2016
89 Ukraine 4.80 2000
91 Mexico 4.20 2019
92 Seychelles 4.10 2012
93 Iran 4.00 2010
93 St. Lucia 4.00 2012
93 Romania 4.00 2002
96 Dominican Republic 3.90 2013
96 Bolivia 3.90 2016
96 Colombia 3.90 2016
96 Iraq 3.90 2018
100 Montenegro 3.80 2018
101 Turkmenistan 3.50 2019
101 Japan 3.50 2010
101 Kuwait 3.50 2014
104 Jordan 3.40 2012
105 Samoa 3.30 2019
105 Panama 3.30 2019
107 Armenia 3.20 2016
108 Uzbekistan 3.10 2017
109 Algeria 2.90 2019
110 Costa Rica 2.60 2018
110 Peru 2.60 2019
110 Czech Republic 2.60 2001
110 Morocco 2.60 2017
114 Barbados 2.50 2012
114 Argentina 2.50 2019
114 China 2.50 2013
117 Bulgaria 2.40 2014
118 Brazil 2.30 2007
118 Uruguay 2.30 2018
120 Cuba 2.20 2019
121 Moldova 2.10 2012
122 Kyrgyz Republic 2.00 2018
122 Mongolia 2.00 2018
124 Tuvalu 1.90 2007
124 Kazakhstan 1.90 2015
126 Albania 1.80 2017
126 Tunisia 1.80 2018
126 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.80 2012
129 Serbia 1.60 2019
130 Belarus 1.50 2005
131 Paraguay 1.40 2016
132 Turkey 1.30 2018
132 Netherlands 1.30 2009
134 Korea 1.20 2003
135 Tonga 1.00 2019
135 Georgia 1.00 2018
137 Poland 0.80 2011
137 Germany 0.80 2016
139 North Macedonia 0.70 2019
140 Chile 0.60 2014
141 United States 0.50 2018
142 Estonia 0.30 2014
142 Greece 0.30 2003
144 Portugal 0.20 2016
145 Belgium 0.00 2014

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Aggregation method: Linear mixed-effect model estimates

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them int