Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in United States of America

United States of America: Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value was 8.3 % in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
8.3 %
Change on year
up 1.2%
Rank
26th
of 36 groups
All-time high
8.3 %
in 2020
All-time low
7.9 %
in 2000
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in United States of America, 2000–2020

024682000201020202000: 7.9 %2001: 7.9 %2002: 7.9 %2003: 7.9 %2004: 7.9 %2005: 8 %2006: 8 %2007: 8 %2008: 8.1 %2009: 8.1 %2010: 8.1 %2011: 8.1 %2012: 8.2 %2013: 8.2 %2014: 8.2 %2015: 8.2 %2016: 8.2 %2017: 8.2 %2018: 8.2 %2019: 8.2 %2020: 8.3 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in United States of America stood at 8.3 %. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 2.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in United States of America peaked at 8.3 % in 2020 and was at its lowest, 7.9 %, in 2000.

United States of America ranks 26th of 36 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in United States of America, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 7.9 %
2001 7.9 % +0.0%
2002 7.9 % +0.0%
2003 7.9 % +0.0%
2004 7.9 % +0.0%
2005 8 % +1.3%
2006 8 % +0.0%
2007 8 % +0.0%
2008 8.1 % +1.2%
2009 8.1 % +0.0%
2010 8.1 % +0.0%
2011 8.1 % +0.0%
2012 8.2 % +1.2%
2013 8.2 % +0.0%
2014 8.2 % +0.0%
2015 8.2 % +0.0%
2016 8.2 % +0.0%
2017 8.2 % +0.0%
2018 8.2 % +0.0%
2019 8.2 % +0.0%
2020 8.3 % +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.97 % 7.9 % 8.1 % 10
2010s 8.18 % 8.1 % 8.2 % 10
2020s 8.3 % 8.3 % 8.3 % 1

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 24 Malawi 15.6 % compare
  2. 24 Namibia 15.6 % compare
  3. 26 Angola 15.5 % compare
  4. 27 Antigua and Barbuda 15.4 % compare
  5. 27 Bahamas 15.4 % compare
  6. 29 Eritrea 15.2 % compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More agriculture & rural data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in United States of America?
Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in United States of America was 8.3 % in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 8.3 % in 2020.
What is the lowest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 7.9 % in 2000.
How does United States of America rank for prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value?
United States of America ranks 26th out of 36 groups with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America 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 United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birthweight-percent-value/united-states-of-america/

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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.