Number of children who are underweight in South Africa

South Africa: Number of children who are underweight was 277,540 in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
277,540
Change on year
down 17.9%
World rank
41st
of 96 countries
All-time high
513,694
in 1999
All-time low
277,540
in 2017
Years of data
6
1994–2017

Number of children who are underweight in South Africa, 1994–2017

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1994200520171994: 438.3k1999: 513.7k2008: 486.5k2015: 325.5k2016: 338.1k2017: 277.5k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2017, number of children who are underweight in South Africa stood at 277,540. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

The figure is down 17.9% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children who are underweight in South Africa peaked at 513,694 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 277,540, in 2017.

South Africa ranks 41st of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Number of children who are underweight in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of children who are underweight in South Africa, 1994 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1994 438,294
1999 513,694 +17.2%
2008 486,452 -5.3%
2015 325,485 -33.1%
2016 338,076 +3.9%
2017 277,540 -17.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 475,994 438,294 513,694 2
2000s 486,452 486,452 486,452 1
2010s 313,700 277,540 338,076 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 38 Cambodia 297,417 compare
  2. 39 Guatemala 280,908 compare
  3. 40 Sri Lanka 279,595 compare
  4. 42 Iraq 220,926 compare
  5. 43 Zimbabwe 218,857 compare
  6. 44 Thailand 213,571 compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children who are underweight in South Africa?
Number of children who are underweight in South Africa was 277,540 in 2017, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children who are underweight recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 513,694 in 1999.
What is the lowest number of children who are underweight recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 277,540 in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for number of children who are underweight?
South Africa ranks 41st out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
Is number of children who are underweight rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa 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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Number of children who are underweight in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-children-who-are-underweight/south-africa/

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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