Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 25.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
25.0%
World rank
6th
of 96 countries
All-time high
30.7%
in 1995
All-time low
23.1%
in 2017
Years of data
7
1995–2023

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1995–2023

01020301995200920231995: 30.7 % of children under 52001: 30.3 % of children under 52007: 25.6 % of children under 52010: 24.2 % of children under 52013: 23.4 % of children under 52017: 23.1 % of children under 52023: 25 % 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 Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 25.0%.

The figure is up 6.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 30.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 2017.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 6th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 30.7% 30.7% 30.7% 1
2000s 28.0% 25.6% 30.3% 2
2010s 23.6% 23.1% 24.2% 3
2020s 25.0% 25.0% 25.0% 1

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 3 East Timor 31.9% compare
  2. 4 India 31.5% compare
  3. 5 Burundi 28.3% compare
  4. 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
  5. 8 Laos 24.3% compare
  6. 9 Pakistan 23.1% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Democratic Republic of Congo was 25.0% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 30.7% in 1995.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 2017.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.

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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.