Share of children who have anemia in Belgium

Belgium: Share of children who have anemia was 17.4% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
17.4%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
154th
of 190 countries
All-time high
17.4%
in 2019
All-time low
13.6%
in 2001
Years of data
20
2000–2019

Share of children who have anemia in Belgium, 2000–2019

0510152000200920192000: 13.8 % of children under 52001: 13.6 % of children under 52002: 13.6 % of children under 52003: 13.6 % of children under 52004: 13.6 % of children under 52005: 13.8 % of children under 52006: 14 % of children under 52007: 14.2 % of children under 52008: 14.3 % of children under 52009: 14.5 % of children under 52010: 14.6 % of children under 52011: 14.9 % of children under 52012: 15.2 % of children under 52013: 15.3 % of children under 52014: 15.6 % of children under 52015: 15.9 % of children under 52016: 16.4 % of children under 52017: 16.8 % of children under 52018: 17.1 % of children under 52019: 17.4 % of children under 5

Source: Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

In 2019, share of children who have anemia in Belgium stood at 17.4%. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have anemia in Belgium peaked at 17.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 13.6%, in 2001.

That places Belgium 154th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.

Share of children who have anemia in Belgium, year by year

Annual values for Share of children who have anemia in Belgium, 2000 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 13.8% —
2001 13.6% -1.4%
2002 13.6% +0.0%
2003 13.6% +0.0%
2004 13.6% +0.0%
2005 13.8% +1.5%
2006 14.0% +1.4%
2007 14.2% +1.4%
2008 14.3% +0.7%
2009 14.5% +1.4%
2010 14.6% +0.7%
2011 14.9% +2.1%
2012 15.2% +2.0%
2013 15.3% +0.7%
2014 15.6% +2.0%
2015 15.9% +1.9%
2016 16.4% +3.1%
2017 16.8% +2.4%
2018 17.1% +1.8%
2019 17.4% +1.8%

Belgium compared with similar countries

  • Belgium's 17.4% is above the median for high income countries, which is 17.3%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Belgium's 17.4% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 17.8%, 98% of the median. (49 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 13.9% 13.6% 14.5% 10
2010s 15.9% 14.6% 17.4% 10

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 151 Bahamas 17.9% compare
  2. 152 Belarus 17.8% compare
  3. 152 Lithuania 17.8% compare
  4. 154 Malta 17.4% compare
  5. 156 Antigua and Barbuda 17.2% compare
  6. 157 Greece 16.7% compare
  7. 157 Japan 16.7% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have anemia in Belgium?
Share of children who have anemia in Belgium was 17.4% in 2019, 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 children who have anemia recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2019.
What is the lowest share of children who have anemia recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 13.6% in 2001.
How does Belgium rank for share of children who have anemia?
Belgium ranks 154th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
Is share of children who have anemia rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Belgium 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 children who have anemia. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of children who have anemia in Belgium. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-anemia-in-children/belgium/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of children who have anemia
Unit
% of children under 5
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
190 places, 3,800 data points, 2000–2019
Last refreshed

Share of children under the age of five with anemia. Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.