Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Zambia
Zambia: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 11.8% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Zambia, 1992–2018
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
Zambia recorded 11.8% for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Zambia peaked at 23.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2018.
Zambia ranks 40th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 21.2% | — |
| 1996 | 19.6% | -7.5% |
| 1999 | 18.9% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | +22.8% |
| 2007 | 14.9% | -35.8% |
| 2013 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | -20.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 11.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 11.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 83% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 18.9% | 21.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 14.9% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 11.8% | 14.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 18.94 (2026)
- Global number of reported disasters by size, gaps filled 0 events (2025)
- Annual precipitation, annual growth rate 40.84 % change on previous year (2025)
- Free country, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Civil liberties rating, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Zambia?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Zambia was 11.8% in 2018, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
- Zambia ranks 40th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.