Statizoid

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value by country

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...

Countries reporting
146
Highest
27.4 %
India
Lowest
4 %
Iceland
Median
10.3 %
Years covered
21
2000–2020
Data points
4,158

What the numbers show

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value is currently reported for 146 countries. The highest value is 27.4 % in India; the lowest is 4 % in Iceland.

The median across all reporting countries is 10.3 %, and the mean is 10.93 %.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 7.

Over the past decade 62 countries rose and 73 fell. The largest increase was in Republic of Korea (up 25.0%), and the largest decrease in Mongolia (down 18.3%).

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 India 27.4 % 2020 down 8.7% falling
2 Bangladesh 23 % 2020 down 6.1% falling
2 Comoros 23 % 2020 down 5.7% falling
4 Philippines 21.1 % 2020 unchanged flat
5 Liberia 19.9 % 2020 up 1.0% flat
6 Nepal 19.7 % 2020 down 7.5% falling
7 Guinea-Bissau 19.5 % 2020 down 12.2% falling
8 Papua New Guinea 19.4 % 2020 up 3.2% rising
9 Jordan 18.9 % 2020 up 14.5% rising
10 Madagascar 18.7 % 2020 down 4.6% falling
10 Mauritius 18.7 % 2020 down 3.1% falling
12 Burkina Faso 18.5 % 2020 down 4.1% falling
13 Sri Lanka 18 % 2020 down 3.7% falling
14 Mozambique 17.8 % 2020 down 3.3% falling
15 Guyana 17.2 % 2020 up 1.8% rising
15 Senegal 17.2 % 2020 down 11.8% falling
17 Botswana 16.8 % 2020 down 4.5% falling
18 South Africa 16.6 % 2020 down 0.6% flat
19 Suriname 16.5 % 2020 up 7.1% rising
20 Benin 16.4 % 2020 down 7.3% falling
20 Central African Republic 16.4 % 2020 up 4.5% rising
22 Saint Lucia 16.3 % 2020 up 3.8% rising
22 Trinidad and Tobago 16.3 % 2020 up 3.8% rising
24 Malawi 15.6 % 2020 down 1.3% falling
24 Namibia 15.6 % 2020 down 3.1% falling
26 Angola 15.5 % 2020 down 2.5% falling
27 Antigua and Barbuda 15.4 % 2020 up 3.4% rising
27 Bahamas 15.4 % 2020 up 1.3% rising
29 Eritrea 15.2 % 2020 down 1.3% falling
30 Burundi 14.8 % 2020 down 2.6% falling
30 Morocco 14.8 % 2020 down 10.3% falling
32 Gabon 14.6 % 2020 down 3.3% flat
33 Guatemala 14.5 % 2020 up 1.4% flat
34 Ghana 14.4 % 2020 down 4.6% falling
34 Kuwait 14.4 % 2020 up 20.0% rising
34 Lesotho 14.4 % 2020 down 2.7% flat
37 Togo 14.3 % 2020 down 6.5% falling
38 United Arab Emirates 13.9 % 2020 up 1.5% rising
39 Malaysia 13.8 % 2020 up 7.8% rising
40 Jamaica 13.7 % 2020 down 5.5% falling
40 Maldives 13.7 % 2020 down 0.7% flat
42 Brunei Darussalam 13.6 % 2020 up 4.6% rising
43 Palau 13.5 % 2020 down 1.5% flat
44 Dominican Republic 13.4 % 2020 up 13.6% rising
45 Gambia 13.2 % 2020 down 4.3% falling
45 Oman 13.2 % 2020 down 0.8% flat
45 Solomon Islands 13.2 % 2020 unchanged flat
48 Honduras 13.1 % 2020 up 6.5% rising
48 Vanuatu 13.1 % 2020 up 4.0% rising
50 Lebanon 12.6 % 2020 up 4.1% flat
51 Cameroon 12.5 % 2020 down 3.1% falling
51 Myanmar 12.5 % 2020 down 1.6% flat
51 Seychelles 12.5 % 2020 up 1.6% flat
54 Bahrain 12.4 % 2020 up 8.8% rising
55 Congo 11.9 % 2020 up 0.8% falling
56 Zimbabwe 11.8 % 2020 down 4.8% falling
57 Belize 11.6 % 2020 up 3.6% rising
58 Bulgaria 11.4 % 2020 up 5.6% rising
58 Bhutan 11.4 % 2020 down 2.6% falling
58 Greece 11.4 % 2020 up 6.5% rising
58 Cambodia 11.4 % 2020 down 12.3% falling
62 Japan 11.3 % 2020 up 2.7% flat
63 Zambia 11.2 % 2020 down 8.2% falling
64 Sao Tome and Principe 11.1 % 2020 up 4.7% rising
65 Azerbaijan 11 % 2020 up 0.9% flat
65 Colombia 11 % 2020 up 5.8% rising
65 Singapore 11 % 2020 up 3.8% flat
68 Iraq 10.9 % 2020 up 1.9% rising
69 Ecuador 10.6 % 2020 down 4.5% falling
70 Palestine, State of 10.4 % 2020 up 7.2% rising
71 Panama 10.3 % 2020 down 5.5% falling
71 Sierra Leone 10.3 % 2020 down 12.0% falling
71 Thailand 10.3 % 2020 down 2.8% falling
71 Cook Islands 10.3 % 2020 up 2.0% flat
75 Mexico 10.2 % 2020 unchanged flat
75 El Salvador 10.2 % 2020 down 1.9% flat
75 Eswatini 10.2 % 2020 down 4.7% falling
78 Nicaragua 10.1 % 2020 down 7.3% falling
79 Kenya 10 % 2020 down 8.3% falling
79 Paraguay 10 % 2020 unchanged flat
79 Qatar 10 % 2020 up 1.0% flat
82 Indonesia 9.9 % 2020 down 6.6% falling
83 Spain 9.6 % 2020 up 2.1% rising
84 Andorra 9.4 % 2020 up 4.4% rising
84 Rwanda 9.4 % 2020 up 2.2% rising
86 Israel 9 % 2020 down 5.3% falling
86 Kiribati 9 % 2020 down 4.3% flat
88 Portugal 8.9 % 2020 up 8.5% rising
89 Romania 8.8 % 2020 down 8.3% falling
90 Brazil 8.7 % 2020 up 4.8% rising
90 Costa Rica 8.7 % 2020 up 2.4% flat
90 Tajikistan 8.7 % 2020 down 7.4% falling
93 Armenia 8.3 % 2020 unchanged flat
93 Hungary 8.3 % 2020 down 1.2% flat
93 North Macedonia 8.3 % 2020 up 2.5% flat
96 Tunisia 8.2 % 2020 up 2.5% rising
97 Slovakia 7.8 % 2020 up 5.4% rising
97 Uruguay 7.8 % 2020 down 3.7% falling
99 Luxembourg 7.7 % 2020 up 4.1% rising
100 Czechia 7.6 % 2020 up 5.6% rising
101 Peru 7.5 % 2020 down 12.8% falling
101 Republic of Korea 7.5 % 2020 up 25.0% rising
103 Argentina 7.4 % 2020 up 2.8% flat
103 Fiji 7.4 % 2020 unchanged flat
103 France 7.4 % 2020 down 1.3% flat
103 Georgia 7.4 % 2020 up 8.8% rising
107 Russian Federation 7.3 % 2020 up 1.4% flat
108 Algeria 7.2 % 2020 up 4.3% rising
108 Italy 7.2 % 2020 up 2.9% rising
108 Malta 7.2 % 2020 up 4.3% rising
111 Cuba 7.1 % 2020 down 1.4% flat
112 Belgium 6.8 % 2020 down 2.9% falling
112 Chile 6.8 % 2020 up 13.3% rising
112 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6.8 % 2020 down 5.6% falling
115 Germany 6.7 % 2020 down 2.9% flat
116 Australia 6.6 % 2020 up 3.1% rising
116 Canada 6.6 % 2020 up 8.2% rising
118 Switzerland 6.4 % 2020 unchanged flat
118 Australia and New Zealand 6.4 % 2020 up 1.6% flat
120 Austria 6.3 % 2020 down 6.0% falling
120 Slovenia 6.3 % 2020 up 3.3% rising
122 Montenegro 6.2 % 2020 down 3.1% flat
122 Serbia 6.2 % 2020 up 3.3% rising
124 Albania 6 % 2020 unchanged flat
124 Kyrgyzstan 6 % 2020 down 7.7% falling
126 New Zealand 5.9 % 2020 down 3.3% flat
127 Uzbekistan 5.8 % 2020 unchanged rising
128 Ukraine 5.7 % 2020 down 5.0% falling
128 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 5.7 % 2020 down 8.1% falling
130 Ireland 5.6 % 2020 up 5.7% rising
130 Poland 5.6 % 2020 down 3.4% falling
132 Kazakhstan 5.3 % 2020 down 8.6% falling
133 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.2 % 2020 up 2.0% flat
134 Belarus 5.1 % 2020 up 2.0% flat
135 China 5 % 2020 down 3.8% falling
135 Croatia 5 % 2020 unchanged flat
137 Mongolia 4.9 % 2020 down 18.3% falling
138 Denmark 4.8 % 2020 down 7.7% falling
139 Lithuania 4.4 % 2020 down 6.4% flat
139 Norway 4.4 % 2020 down 8.3% falling
141 Turkmenistan 4.3 % 2020 down 15.7% falling
142 Estonia 4.2 % 2020 down 6.7% falling
142 Latvia 4.2 % 2020 down 8.7% falling
144 Finland 4.1 % 2020 unchanged flat
144 Sweden 4.1 % 2020 down 2.4% flat
146 Iceland 4 % 2020 up 5.3% rising

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

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Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value by country. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 22 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birthweight-percent-value/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
198 places, 4,158 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.