Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value was 8.8 million No in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
8.8 million No
Change on year
down 2.2%
Rank
4th
of 36 groups
All-time high
11.9 million No
in 2000
All-time low
8.8 million No
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value in Southern Asia, 2000–2020

02.557.51012.52000201020202000: 11.9 million No2001: 11.9 million No2002: 11.8 million No2003: 11.6 million No2004: 11.5 million No2005: 11.2 million No2006: 11 million No2007: 10.9 million No2008: 10.7 million No2009: 10.7 million No2010: 10.5 million No2011: 10.4 million No2012: 10.2 million No2013: 10.1 million No2014: 9.8 million No2015: 9.7 million No2016: 9.6 million No2017: 9.3 million No2018: 9.2 million No2019: 9 million No2020: 8.8 million No

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in million No.

Analysis

In 2020, number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value in Southern Asia stood at 8.8 million No. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value in Southern Asia peaked at 11.9 million No in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.8 million No, in 2020.

That places Southern Asia 4th out of 36 groups with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value in Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value in Southern Asia, 2000 to 2020.
Year million No Change
2000 11.9 million No
2001 11.9 million No +0.0%
2002 11.8 million No -0.8%
2003 11.6 million No -1.7%
2004 11.5 million No -0.9%
2005 11.2 million No -2.6%
2006 11 million No -1.8%
2007 10.9 million No -0.9%
2008 10.7 million No -1.8%
2009 10.7 million No +0.0%
2010 10.5 million No -1.9%
2011 10.4 million No -1.0%
2012 10.2 million No -1.9%
2013 10.1 million No -1.0%
2014 9.8 million No -3.0%
2015 9.7 million No -1.0%
2016 9.6 million No -1.0%
2017 9.3 million No -3.1%
2018 9.2 million No -1.1%
2019 9 million No -2.2%
2020 8.8 million No -2.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11.32 million No 10.7 million No 11.9 million No 10
2010s 9.78 million No 9 million No 10.5 million No 10
2020s 8.8 million No 8.8 million No 8.8 million No 1

Countries ranked near Southern Asia

  1. 1 India 6.3 million No compare
  2. 2 Bangladesh 0.7 million No compare
  3. 3 China 0.6 million No compare
  4. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 0.4 million No compare
  5. 4 Philippines 0.5 million No compare
  6. 5 Indonesia 0.4 million No compare
  7. 5 Türkiye 0.2 million No compare
  8. 5 United Republic of Tanzania 0.2 million No compare
  9. 6 Angola 0.2 million No compare
  10. 6 Brazil 0.2 million No compare
  11. 6 Madagascar 0.2 million No compare
  12. 6 Mexico 0.2 million No compare
  13. 6 Mozambique 0.2 million No compare
  14. 6 South Africa 0.2 million No compare

See the full ranking of 84 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value in Southern Asia?
Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value in Southern Asia was 8.8 million No in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value recorded in Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 11.9 million No in 2000.
What is the lowest number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 8.8 million No in 2020.
How does Southern Asia rank for number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value?
Southern Asia ranks 4th out of 36 groups with data for 2020.
Is number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — value rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Southern Asia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value in Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-newborns-with-low-birthweight-million-value/southern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of newborns with low birthweight (million) — Value
Unit
million No
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
84 places, 1,700 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.