Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in Africa

Africa: Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value was 13.9 % in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
13.9 %
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
14th
of 36 groups
All-time high
15.5 %
in 2000
All-time low
13.9 %
in 2019
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in Africa, 2000–2020

0510152000201020202000: 15.5 %2001: 15.4 %2002: 15.3 %2003: 15.2 %2004: 15.1 %2005: 15 %2006: 14.9 %2007: 14.9 %2008: 14.8 %2009: 14.7 %2010: 14.6 %2011: 14.5 %2012: 14.5 %2013: 14.4 %2014: 14.3 %2015: 14.2 %2016: 14.1 %2017: 14.1 %2018: 14 %2019: 13.9 %2020: 13.9 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

Africa recorded 13.9 % for prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.

The figure is down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in Africa peaked at 15.5 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.9 %, in 2019.

Africa ranks 14th of 36 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in Africa, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in Africa, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 15.5 %
2001 15.4 % -0.6%
2002 15.3 % -0.6%
2003 15.2 % -0.7%
2004 15.1 % -0.7%
2005 15 % -0.7%
2006 14.9 % -0.7%
2007 14.9 % +0.0%
2008 14.8 % -0.7%
2009 14.7 % -0.7%
2010 14.6 % -0.7%
2011 14.5 % -0.7%
2012 14.5 % +0.0%
2013 14.4 % -0.7%
2014 14.3 % -0.7%
2015 14.2 % -0.7%
2016 14.1 % -0.7%
2017 14.1 % +0.0%
2018 14 % -0.7%
2019 13.9 % -0.7%
2020 13.9 % +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.08 % 14.7 % 15.5 % 10
2010s 14.26 % 13.9 % 14.6 % 10
2020s 13.9 % 13.9 % 13.9 % 1

Countries ranked near Africa

  1. 11 Democratic Republic of the Congo 10.2 % compare
  2. 12 Burkina Faso 18.5 % compare
  3. 13 Sri Lanka 18 % compare
  4. 14 Mozambique 17.8 % compare
  5. 15 Guyana 17.2 % compare
  6. 15 Senegal 17.2 % compare
  7. 16 Viet Nam 6.3 % compare
  8. 17 Botswana 16.8 % compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Africa

All data for Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in Africa?
Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in Africa was 13.9 % in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in Africa?
The highest recorded value was 15.5 % in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 13.9 % in 2019.
How does Africa rank for prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value?
Africa ranks 14th out of 36 groups with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value rising or falling in Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birthweight-percent-value/africa/

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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.