Share of children underweight in India
India: Share of children underweight was 31.5 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
31.5
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
4th
of 96 countries
All-time high
55.5
in 1989
All-time low
29.4
in 2014
Years of data
10
1989–2020
Share of children underweight in India, 1989–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of children underweight in India stood at 31.5.
That represents a change of down 6.8% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children underweight in India peaked at 55.5 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 29.4, in 2014.
That places India 4th out of 96 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Share of children underweight in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 55.5 | — |
| 1991 | 52.8 | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 51.3 | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 38.4 | -25.1% |
| 1999 | 45.4 | +18.2% |
| 2006 | 43.5 | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 29.4 | -32.4% |
| 2015 | 36.3 | +23.5% |
| 2017 | 33.8 | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 31.5 | -6.8% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 31.5 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6, 2.7× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- India's 31.5 is above the median for South Asia, which is 17.7, 1.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 55.5 | 55.5 | 55.5 | 1 |
| 1990s | 46.97 | 38.4 | 52.8 | 4 |
| 2000s | 43.5 | 43.5 | 43.5 | 1 |
| 2010s | 33.17 | 29.4 | 36.3 | 3 |
| 2020s | 31.5 | 31.5 | 31.5 | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children underweight in India?
- Share of children underweight in India was 31.5 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children underweight recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5 in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of children underweight recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4 in 2014.
- How does India rank for share of children underweight?
- India ranks 4th out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children underweight rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children underweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).