Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Bhutan
Bhutan: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 8.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Bhutan, 1987–2023
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
In 2023, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Bhutan stood at 8.7%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Bhutan peaked at 34.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 2023.
Bhutan ranks 55th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 34.0% | — |
| 1999 | 13.9% | -59.1% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | -25.2% |
| 2010 | 12.7% | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 8.7% | -31.5% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 8.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 75% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 8.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 17.7%, 49% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.0% | 34.0% | 34.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More reference data data for Bhutan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0671 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1192 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0727 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0153 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.3489 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5881 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Bhutan?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Bhutan was 8.7% in 2023, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 2023.
- How does Bhutan rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Bhutan ranks 55th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of children younger than five years old whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population for ages 0-59 months.