Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in South Africa
South Africa: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 4.9% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in South Africa, 1994–2017
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
In 2017, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in South Africa stood at 4.9%. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.9% on the previous year and down 46.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in South Africa peaked at 9.8% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2017.
That places South Africa 62nd out of 96 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 8.0% | — |
| 1999 | 9.8% | +22.5% |
| 2008 | 9.1% | -7.1% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | -37.4% |
| 2016 | 5.9% | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | -16.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 4.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 4.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 34% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.9% | 8.0% | 9.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 9.1% | 9.1% | 9.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 4.9% | 5.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in South Africa?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in South Africa was 4.9% in 2017, 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.8% in 1999.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2017.
- How does South Africa rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- South Africa ranks 62nd out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.