Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Myanmar
Myanmar: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 19.5% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Myanmar, 1990–2018
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
Myanmar recorded 19.5% for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in 2018.
The figure is up 5.4% on the previous year and down 13.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Myanmar peaked at 38.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 2016.
That places Myanmar 15th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Myanmar, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 32.5% | — |
| 1991 | 37.0% | +13.8% |
| 1994 | 31.2% | -15.7% |
| 1995 | 38.7% | +24.0% |
| 1997 | 28.1% | -27.4% |
| 2000 | 30.0% | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 29.2% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 22.6% | -22.6% |
| 2016 | 18.5% | -18.1% |
| 2018 | 19.5% | +5.4% |
Myanmar compared with similar countries
- Myanmar's 19.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.7× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Myanmar's 19.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3%, 1.3× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.5% | 28.1% | 38.7% | 5 |
| 2000s | 27.3% | 22.6% | 30.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 18.5% | 19.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Myanmar
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
- 13 Ethiopia 21.2% compare
- 14 Benin 19.6% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 18.8% compare
- 17 Afghanistan 18.4% compare
- 17 Central African Republic 18.4% compare
More reference data data for Myanmar
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.58 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 11.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 25.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 73.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.8 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Myanmar?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Myanmar was 19.5% in 2018, 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 Myanmar?
- The highest recorded value was 38.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Myanmar?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 2016.
- How does Myanmar rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Myanmar ranks 15th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Myanmar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Myanmar 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.