Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 4.6% in 2012. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua, 1993–2012
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 Nicaragua is 4.6%, measured in 2012.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua peaked at 10.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2004.
That places Nicaragua 64th out of 96 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 9.6% | — |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -25.2% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -55.8% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | +82.4% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -19.3% |
Nicaragua compared with similar countries
- Nicaragua's 4.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 40% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Nicaragua's 4.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 1.2× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 3.4% | 7.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
More reference data data for Nicaragua
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4575 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0819 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.76 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.4557 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4457 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua was 4.6% in 2012, 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2004.
- How does Nicaragua rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Nicaragua ranks 64th out of 96 countries with data for 2012.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.