Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Pakistan
Pakistan: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 23.1% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Pakistan, 1986–2018
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
Pakistan recorded 23.1% for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Pakistan peaked at 44.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 2018.
That places Pakistan 9th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.4% | 44.4% | 44.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 34.2% | 38.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 31.2% | 31.2% | 31.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 23.1% | 31.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 8 Laos 24.3% compare
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
More reference data data for Pakistan
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.2 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.2084 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3588 °C (2026)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 400.52 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Democracy 3 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Pakistan?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Pakistan was 23.1% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 1986.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 2018.
- How does Pakistan rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Pakistan ranks 9th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.