Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups was 45.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
45.4%
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
17th
of 192 countries
All-time high
45.4%
in 2023
All-time low
31.4%
in 2002
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in Afghanistan, 2000–2023

010203040502000201120232000: 31.6 % of women ages 15-492001: 31.5 % of women ages 15-492002: 31.4 % of women ages 15-492003: 31.6 % of women ages 15-492004: 31.9 % of women ages 15-492005: 32.3 % of women ages 15-492006: 32.7 % of women ages 15-492007: 33.2 % of women ages 15-492008: 33.7 % of women ages 15-492009: 34.3 % of women ages 15-492010: 34.9 % of women ages 15-492011: 35.7 % of women ages 15-492012: 36.5 % of women ages 15-492013: 37.4 % of women ages 15-492014: 38.3 % of women ages 15-492015: 39.2 % of women ages 15-492016: 40.1 % of women ages 15-492017: 40.9 % of women ages 15-492018: 41.7 % of women ages 15-492019: 42.4 % of women ages 15-492020: 43.1 % of women ages 15-492021: 43.7 % of women ages 15-492022: 44.5 % of women ages 15-492023: 45.4 % of women ages 15-49

Source: Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 45.4% for share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in Afghanistan peaked at 45.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2002.

That places Afghanistan 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.4% 31.4% 34.3% 10
2010s 38.7% 34.9% 42.4% 10
2020s 44.2% 43.1% 45.4% 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 14 Haiti 45.9% compare
  2. 15 Guinea 45.7% compare
  3. 15 Guinea-Bissau 45.7% compare
  4. 18 Sierra Leone 44.6% compare
  5. 19 Burkina Faso 44.3% compare
  6. 20 Angola 43.8% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in Afghanistan?
Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups in Afghanistan was 45.4% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 45.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2002.
How does Afghanistan rank for share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups?
Afghanistan ranks 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of the population with anemia in higher risk groups
Unit
% of women ages 15-49
Source
Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 4,608 data points, 2000–2023
Last refreshed

Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.