Kenya - Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5)

Prevalence of underweight, weight for age (% of children under 5) in Kenya was 11.20 as of 2014. Its highest value over the past 21 years was 19.40 in 1993, while its lowest value was 11.20 in 2014.

Definition: Prevalence of underweight children is the percentage of children 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 child growth standards released in 2006.

Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child malnutrition estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology.

See also:

Year Value
1993 19.40
1994 17.90
1998 17.50
2000 17.10
2003 16.40
2005 18.00
2008 16.50
2011 12.70
2014 11.20

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

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Nutrition