Number of children who are underweight in United States of America

United States of America: Number of children who are underweight was 79,570 in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
79,570
Change on year
down 71.6%
World rank
60th
of 96 countries
All-time high
279,934
in 2016
All-time low
79,570
in 2018
Years of data
11
1991–2018

Number of children who are underweight in United States of America, 1991–2018

100.0k150.0k200.0k250.0k300.0k1991200420181991: 157.3k2000: 209.6k2002: 155.0k2004: 256.3k2006: 140.2k2008: 143.9k2010: 207.1k2012: 101.9k2014: 140.1k2016: 279.9k2018: 79.6k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2018, number of children who are underweight in United States of America stood at 79,570. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

The figure is down 71.6% on the previous year and down 44.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children who are underweight in United States of America peaked at 279,934 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 79,570, in 2018.

United States of America ranks 60th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Number of children who are underweight in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Number of children who are underweight in United States of America, 1991 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1991 157,305
2000 209,601 +33.2%
2002 154,954 -26.1%
2004 256,337 +65.4%
2006 140,189 -45.3%
2008 143,915 +2.7%
2010 207,052 +43.9%
2012 101,921 -50.8%
2014 140,088 +37.4%
2016 279,934 +99.8%
2018 79,570 -71.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 157,305 157,305 157,305 1
2000s 180,999 140,189 256,337 5
2010s 161,713 79,570 279,934 5

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 57 Saudi Arabia 96,525 compare
  2. 58 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 84,650 compare
  3. 59 Liberia 81,375 compare
  4. 61 Honduras 78,462 compare
  5. 62 Peru 72,680 compare
  6. 63 Uzbekistan 71,157 compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children who are underweight in United States of America?
Number of children who are underweight in United States of America was 79,570 in 2018, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children who are underweight recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 279,934 in 2016.
What is the lowest number of children who are underweight recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 79,570 in 2018.
How does United States of America rank for number of children who are underweight?
United States of America ranks 60th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
Is number of children who are underweight rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States of America 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 United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-children-who-are-underweight/united-states/

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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