Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Colombia
Colombia: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 3.7% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Colombia, 1986–2016
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 2016, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Colombia stood at 3.7%.
The figure is down 26.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Colombia peaked at 8.8% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2010.
Colombia ranks 68th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.7% | 8.6% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More reference data data for Colombia
- Spring temperature anomalies 1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.0438 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5992 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.8514 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 206.38 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Colombia?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Colombia was 3.7% in 2016, 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.8% in 1988.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2010.
- How does Colombia rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Colombia ranks 68th out of 96 countries with data for 2016.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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
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.