Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Guatemala
Guatemala: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 14.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Guatemala, 1987–2021
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
The most recent figure for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Guatemala is 14.4%, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Guatemala peaked at 27.8% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 2015.
That places Guatemala 34th out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 27.8% | — |
| 1995 | 21.7% | -21.9% |
| 1999 | 20.3% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 14.1% | -22.5% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 14.4% | +16.1% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 14.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 3.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 14.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 3.9× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.8% | 27.8% | 27.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 21.0% | 20.3% | 21.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.0% | 14.1% | 18.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.4% | 1 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More reference data data for Guatemala
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9286 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1246 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 18.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6786 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Guatemala?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Guatemala was 14.4% in 2021, 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 1987.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 2015.
- How does Guatemala rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Guatemala ranks 34th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala 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
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.