Number of children who are underweight in Nigeria

Nigeria: Number of children who are underweight was 8.11 million in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
8.11 million
Change on year
up 32.4%
World rank
2nd
of 96 countries
All-time high
10.44 million
in 2016
All-time low
5.73 million
in 1990
Years of data
10
1990–2021

Number of children who are underweight in Nigeria, 1990–2021

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M1990200520211990: 5.7M1993: 6.5M2003: 6.5M2011: 7.4M2014: 6.7M2015: 6.4M2016: 10.4M2018: 7.3M2020: 6.1M2021: 8.1M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of children who are underweight in Nigeria is 8.11 million, measured in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 32.4% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children who are underweight in Nigeria peaked at 10.44 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.73 million, in 1990.

That places Nigeria 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.13 million 5.73 million 6.52 million 2
2000s 6.53 million 6.53 million 6.53 million 1
2010s 7.63 million 6.40 million 10.44 million 5
2020s 7.12 million 6.13 million 8.11 million 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 India 37.35 million compare
  2. 3 Pakistan 7.11 million compare
  3. 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 4.82 million compare
  4. 5 Ethiopia 3.65 million compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children who are underweight in Nigeria?
Number of children who are underweight in Nigeria was 8.11 million in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children who are underweight recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 10.44 million in 2016.
What is the lowest number of children who are underweight recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 5.73 million in 1990.
How does Nigeria rank for number of children who are underweight?
Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of children who are underweight rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children who are underweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Number of children who are underweight
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 951 data points, 1984–2023
Last refreshed