Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Bhutan

Bhutan: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 8.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
8.7%
World rank
55th
of 96 countries
All-time high
34.0%
in 1987
All-time low
8.7%
in 2023
Years of data
5
1987–2023

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Bhutan, 1987–2023

1020301987200520231987: 34 % of children under 51999: 13.9 % of children under 52008: 10.4 % of children under 52010: 12.7 % of children under 52023: 8.7 % of children under 5

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 52 Guyana 9.4% compare
  2. 53 North Korea 9.3% compare
  3. 54 Comoros 9.1% compare
  4. 56 Rwanda 7.7% compare
  5. 57 Honduras 7.1% compare
  6. 58 Thailand 6.7% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Bhutan

All data for Bhutan →

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

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 957 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

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.