Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Yemen
Yemen: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 40.7% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Yemen, 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
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%.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Yemen, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 29.9% | — |
| 1996 | 34.2% | +14.4% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | +25.7% |
| 2003 | 45.3% | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 36.7% | -19.0% |
| 2011 | 35.5% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 39.9% | +12.4% |
| 2021 | 31.6% | -20.8% |
| 2022 | 40.7% | +28.8% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 40.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 2.4× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 40.7% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.8%, 10.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Yemen
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5619 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2189 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4503 (2050)
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
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.