Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Laos
Laos: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 24.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Laos, 1993–2023
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 Laos stood at 24.3%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Laos peaked at 39.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 2017.
That places Laos 8th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Laos, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 39.8% | — |
| 1994 | 35.9% | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | -11.2% |
| 2011 | 26.6% | -15.8% |
| 2015 | 25.5% | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | -17.3% |
| 2023 | 24.3% | +15.2% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 24.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 2.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Laos's 24.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3%, 1.6× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.8% | 35.9% | 39.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 33.6% | 31.6% | 35.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 21.1% | 26.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 5 Burundi 28.3% compare
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 9 Pakistan 23.1% compare
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
More reference data data for Laos
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6615 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.913 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3021 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.22 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.95 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.64 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Laos?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Laos was 24.3% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 39.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 2017.
- How does Laos rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Laos ranks 8th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.