Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 4.6% in 2012. ▼ Falling

Latest (2012)
4.6%
World rank
64th
of 96 countries
All-time high
10.3%
in 1998
All-time low
3.4%
in 2004
Years of data
7
1993–2012

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Nicaragua, 1993–2012

468101993200220121993: 9.6 % of children under 51998: 10.3 % of children under 52001: 7.7 % of children under 52004: 3.4 % of children under 52005: 6.2 % of children under 52007: 5.7 % of children under 52012: 4.6 % of children under 5

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 62 Ecuador 4.9% compare
  2. 62 South Africa 4.9% compare
  3. 65 Iran 4.3% compare
  4. 66 Mexico 4.2% compare
  5. 67 Iraq 3.9% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

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.

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 957 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

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.