India vs Nigeria: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight

India
31.5%
in 2020
Nigeria
24.4%
in 2021
India rank
4th
Nigeria rank
7th

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight over time

  • India
  • Nigeria
2030405060198920052021

How they compare

India currently reports 31.5% against 24.4% in Nigeria, a difference of 7.1%.

That makes India's figure about 1.3 times Nigeria's.

India ranks 4th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 96 countries.

India has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India Nigeria Difference Ahead
2010s 32.8% 20.1% 12.8% India
2020s 31.5% 18.4% 13.1% India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher malnutrition: share of children who are underweight, India or Nigeria?
India, at 31.5% against 24.4% in Nigeria as of 2020.
What is the difference in malnutrition: share of children who are underweight between India and Nigeria?
7.1%, with India ahead.
How do India and Nigeria rank globally for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
India ranks 4th and Nigeria ranks 7th of 96 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 957 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

The share of children younger than five years old whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population for ages 0-59 months.