Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Yemen

Yemen: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 40.7% in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
40.7%
Change on year
up 28.8%
World rank
1st
of 96 countries
All-time high
45.3%
in 2003
All-time low
29.9%
in 1991
Years of data
9
1991–2022

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Yemen, 1991–2022

010203040501991200620221991: 29.9 % of children under 51996: 34.2 % of children under 51997: 43 % of children under 52003: 45.3 % of children under 52005: 36.7 % of children under 52011: 35.5 % of children under 52013: 39.9 % of children under 52021: 31.6 % of children under 52022: 40.7 % 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

Yemen recorded 40.7% for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in 2022.

That represents a change of up 28.8% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Yemen peaked at 45.3% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 29.9%, in 1991.

That places Yemen 1st out of 96 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 35.7% 29.9% 43.0% 3
2000s 41.0% 36.7% 45.3% 2
2010s 37.7% 35.5% 39.9% 2
2020s 36.2% 31.6% 40.7% 2

Countries ranked near Yemen

  1. 2 Niger 34.6% compare
  2. 3 East Timor 31.9% compare
  3. 4 India 31.5% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Yemen

All data for Yemen →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Yemen?
Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Yemen was 40.7% 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 Yemen?
The highest recorded value was 45.3% in 2003.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Yemen?
The lowest recorded value was 29.9% in 1991.
How does Yemen rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
Yemen ranks 1st out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Yemen?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Yemen 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.