Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in East Timor

East Timor: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 31.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
31.9%
World rank
3rd
of 96 countries
All-time high
49.5%
in 2007
All-time low
31.9%
in 2020
Years of data
7
2002–2020

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in East Timor, 2002–2020

010203040502002201120202002: 40.6 % of children under 52003: 41.5 % of children under 52007: 49.5 % of children under 52009: 44.9 % of children under 52013: 37.5 % of children under 52014: 32.4 % of children under 52020: 31.9 % 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

In 2020, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in East Timor stood at 31.9%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

The figure is down 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in East Timor peaked at 49.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 31.9%, in 2020.

East Timor ranks 3rd of 96 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 44.1% 40.6% 49.5% 4
2010s 35.0% 32.4% 37.5% 2
2020s 31.9% 31.9% 31.9% 1

Countries ranked near East Timor

  1. 1 Yemen 40.7% compare
  2. 2 Niger 34.6% compare
  3. 4 India 31.5% compare
  4. 5 Burundi 28.3% compare
  5. 6 Democratic Republic of Congo 25.0% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for East Timor

All data for East Timor →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in East Timor?
Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in East Timor was 31.9% in 2020, 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 East Timor?
The highest recorded value was 49.5% in 2007.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in East Timor?
The lowest recorded value was 31.9% in 2020.
How does East Timor rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
East Timor ranks 3rd out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in East Timor?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this East Timor 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.