Field Listing :: Children under the age of 5 years underweight

This entry gives the percent of children under five considered to be underweight. Underweight means weight-for-age is approximately 2 kg below for standard at age one, 3 kg below standard for ages two and three, and 4 kg below standard for ages four and five. This statistic is an indicator of the nutritional status of a community. Children who suffer from growth retardation as a result of poor diets and/or recurrent infections tend to have a greater risk of suffering illness and death.

Country Comparison to the World

Country	Children under the age of 5 years underweight(%)

Afghanistan	32.9% (2004)

Albania	6.3% (2009)

Algeria	3.7% (2005)

Angola	15.6% (2007)

Argentina	2.3% (2005)

Armenia	5.3% (2010)

Azerbaijan	8.4% (2006)

Bangladesh	41.3% (2007)

Belarus	1.3% (2005)

Belize	4.9% (2006)

Benin	20.2% (2006)

Bhutan	12.7% (2010)

Bolivia	4.5% (2008)

Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.6% (2006)

Botswana	11.2% (2008)

Brazil	2.2% (2007)

Bulgaria	1.6% (2004)

Burkina Faso	26% (2009)

Burma	22.6% (2010)

Burundi	35.2% (2005)

Cambodia	29% (2011)

Cameroon	16.6% (2006)

Central African Republic	28% (2006)

Chad	33.9% (2004)

Chile	0.5% (2008)

China	3.4% (2010)

Colombia	3.4% (2010)

Comoros	25% (2000)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the	28.2% (2007)

Congo, Republic of the	11.8% (2005)

Costa Rica	1.1% (2009)

Cote d'Ivoire	29.4% (2007)

Cuba	3.4% (2000)

Czech Republic	2% (2007)

Djibouti	29.6% (2006)

Dominican Republic	3.4% (2007)

Ecuador	6.2% (2004)

Egypt	6.8% (2008)

El Salvador	6.6% (2008)

Equatorial Guinea	10.6% (2004)

Eritrea	34.5% (2002)

Ethiopia	29.2% (2011)

Gabon	8.8% (2001)

Gambia, The	15.8% (2006)

Georgia	1.1% (2009)

Germany	1.1% (2006)

Ghana	14.3% (2008)

Guatemala	13% (2009)

Guinea	20.8% (2008)

Guinea-Bissau	17.2% (2008)

Guyana	11.1% (2009)

Haiti	18.9% (2006)

Honduras	8.6% (2006)

India	43.5% (2006)

Indonesia	19.6% (2007)

Iran	4.6% (2004)

Iraq	7.1% (2006)

Jamaica	1.9% (2007)

Jordan	1.9% (2009)

Kazakhstan	4.9% (2006)

Kenya	16.4% (2009)

Korea, North	20.6% (2004)

Kuwait	1.7% (2009)

Kyrgyzstan	2.7% (2006)

Laos	31.6% (2006)

Lebanon	4.2% (2004)

Lesotho	13.5% (2010)

Liberia	20.4% (2007)

Libya	5.6% (2007)

Macedonia	1.8% (2005)

Madagascar	36.8% (2004)

Malawi	13.8% (2010)

Malaysia	12.9% (2006)

Maldives	17.8% (2009)

Mali	27.9% (2006)

Mauritania	15.9% (2008)

Mexico	3.4% (2006)

Moldova	3.2% (2005)

Mongolia	5.3% (2005)

Montenegro	2.2% (2006)

Morocco	3.1% (2011)

Mozambique	18.3% (2008)

Namibia	17.5% (2007)

Nauru	4.8% (2007)

Nepal	29.1% (2011)

Nicaragua	5.7% (2007)

Niger	39.9% (2006)

Nigeria	26.7% (2008)

Oman	8.6% (2009)

Pakistan	30.9% (2011)

Panama	3.9% (2008)

Papua New Guinea	18.1% (2005)

Paraguay	3.4% (2005)

Peru	4.5% (2008)

Philippines	20.7% (2008)

Romania	3.5% (2002)

Rwanda	11.7% (2011)

Sao Tome and Principe	14.4% (2009)

Saudi Arabia	5.3% (2005)

Senegal	19.2% (2011)

Serbia	1.8% (2006)

Sierra Leone	21.3% (2008)

Singapore	3.3% (2000)

Solomon Islands	11.5% (2007)

Somalia	32.8% (2006)

South Africa	11.6% (2005)

Sri Lanka	21.6% (2009)

Sudan	31.7% (2006)

Suriname	7.5% (2006)

Swaziland	6.1% (2007)

Syria	10.1% (2009)

Tajikistan	15% (2005)

Tanzania	16.7% (2005)

Thailand	7% (2006)

Timor-Leste	45.3% (2010)

Togo	20.5% (2008)

Trinidad and Tobago	4.4% (2000)

Tunisia	3.3% (2006)

Turkey	3.5% (2004)

Tuvalu	1.6% (2007)

Uganda	16.4% (2006)

Ukraine	0.9% (2002)

United States	1.3% (2004)

Uruguay	6% (2004)

Uzbekistan	4.4% (2006)

Vanuatu	11.7% (2007)

Venezuela	3.7% (2007)

Vietnam	20.2% (2008)

West Bank	2.2% (2007)

Yemen	43.1% (2003)

Zambia	14.9% (2007)

Zimbabwe	10.1% (2011)