Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 12.0% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone, 1989–2021
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 Sierra Leone is 12.0%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 11.1% on the previous year and down 35.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone peaked at 27.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2021.
That places Sierra Leone 38th out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 23.7% | — |
| 1990 | 25.4% | +7.2% |
| 2000 | 23.4% | -7.9% |
| 2005 | 27.2% | +16.2% |
| 2010 | 18.5% | -32.0% |
| 2014 | 13.0% | -29.7% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | +20.0% |
| 2019 | 13.5% | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | -11.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.7% | 23.7% | 23.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 25.4% | 25.4% | 25.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.3% | 23.4% | 27.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 13.0% | 18.5% | 4 |
| 2020s | 12.0% | 12.0% | 12.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More reference data data for Sierra Leone
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0238 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.5935 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0797 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.044 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.6534 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Sierra Leone was 12.0% in 2021, 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 27.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2021.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Sierra Leone ranks 38th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.