Share of children who have anemia in Japan

Japan: Share of children who have anemia was 16.7% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
16.7%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
157th
of 190 countries
All-time high
16.7%
in 2019
All-time low
14.9%
in 2001
Years of data
20
2000–2019

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

0510152000200920192000: 15.1 % of children under 52001: 14.9 % of children under 52002: 14.9 % of children under 52003: 14.9 % of children under 52004: 14.9 % of children under 52005: 15 % of children under 52006: 15.1 % of children under 52007: 15.1 % of children under 52008: 15.2 % of children under 52009: 15.2 % of children under 52010: 15.3 % of children under 52011: 15.4 % of children under 52012: 15.4 % of children under 52013: 15.5 % of children under 52014: 15.7 % of children under 52015: 15.8 % of children under 52016: 16 % of children under 52017: 16.2 % of children under 52018: 16.5 % of children under 52019: 16.7 % 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 Japan stood at 16.7%. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children who have anemia in Japan peaked at 16.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14.9%, in 2001.

That places Japan 157th 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 Japan, year by year

Annual values for Share of children who have anemia in Japan, 2000 to 2019.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 15.1% —
2001 14.9% -1.3%
2002 14.9% +0.0%
2003 14.9% +0.0%
2004 14.9% +0.0%
2005 15.0% +0.7%
2006 15.1% +0.7%
2007 15.1% +0.0%
2008 15.2% +0.7%
2009 15.2% +0.0%
2010 15.3% +0.7%
2011 15.4% +0.7%
2012 15.4% +0.0%
2013 15.5% +0.6%
2014 15.7% +1.3%
2015 15.8% +0.6%
2016 16.0% +1.3%
2017 16.2% +1.2%
2018 16.5% +1.9%
2019 16.7% +1.2%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 16.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 17.3%, 97% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 16.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.8%, 49% of the median. (30 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.0% 14.9% 15.2% 10
2010s 15.8% 15.3% 16.7% 10

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 154 Belgium 17.4% compare
  2. 154 Malta 17.4% compare
  3. 156 Antigua and Barbuda 17.2% compare
  4. 157 Greece 16.7% compare
  5. 159 Panama 16.0% compare
  6. 160 Netherlands 15.5% compare
  7. 160 United Kingdom 15.5% compare

See the full ranking of 190 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children who have anemia in Japan?
Share of children who have anemia in Japan was 16.7% 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 2019.
What is the lowest share of children who have anemia recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 14.9% in 2001.
How does Japan rank for share of children who have anemia?
Japan ranks 157th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
Is share of children who have anemia rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. 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/japan/

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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.