Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Tanzania
Tanzania: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 11.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Tanzania, 1991–2022
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 Tanzania is 11.4%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 5.6% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Tanzania peaked at 26.8% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 2021.
Tanzania ranks 42nd of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.8% | — |
| 1996 | 26.8% | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 25.3% | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | -34.0% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -12.4% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 13.4% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -26.0% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | +5.6% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 11.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 98% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 11.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 80% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.6% | 24.8% | 26.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 16.4% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 13.1% | 16.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 10.8% | 11.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More reference data data for Tanzania
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6405 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 11.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 14.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 14.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 59.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 72.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Tanzania?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Tanzania was 11.4% in 2022, 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 1996.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 2021.
- How does Tanzania rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Tanzania ranks 42nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.