Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in World

World: Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value was 14.7 % in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
14.7 %
Change on year
up 0.7%
Rank
8th
of 36 groups
All-time high
16.6 %
in 2000
All-time low
14.5 %
in 2017
Years of data
21
2000–2020

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

0510152000201020202000: 16.6 %2001: 16.6 %2002: 16.5 %2003: 16.4 %2004: 16.3 %2005: 16.1 %2006: 15.9 %2007: 15.7 %2008: 15.5 %2009: 15.4 %2010: 15.3 %2011: 15.2 %2012: 15 %2013: 15 %2014: 14.8 %2015: 14.8 %2016: 14.6 %2017: 14.5 %2018: 14.6 %2019: 14.6 %2020: 14.7 %

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

Analysis

World recorded 14.7 % for prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in 2020.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in World peaked at 16.6 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 14.5 %, in 2017.

World ranks 8th of 36 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — Value in World, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 16.6 %
2001 16.6 % +0.0%
2002 16.5 % -0.6%
2003 16.4 % -0.6%
2004 16.3 % -0.6%
2005 16.1 % -1.2%
2006 15.9 % -1.2%
2007 15.7 % -1.3%
2008 15.5 % -1.3%
2009 15.4 % -0.6%
2010 15.3 % -0.6%
2011 15.2 % -0.7%
2012 15 % -1.3%
2013 15 % +0.0%
2014 14.8 % -1.3%
2015 14.8 % +0.0%
2016 14.6 % -1.4%
2017 14.5 % -0.7%
2018 14.6 % +0.7%
2019 14.6 % +0.0%
2020 14.7 % +0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.1 % 15.4 % 16.6 % 10
2010s 14.84 % 14.5 % 15.3 % 10
2020s 14.7 % 14.7 % 14.7 % 1

Countries ranked near World

  1. 5 Liberia 19.9 % compare
  2. 6 Nepal 19.7 % compare
  3. 7 Guinea-Bissau 19.5 % compare
  4. 8 Papua New Guinea 19.4 % compare
  5. 9 Jordan 18.9 % compare
  6. 10 Madagascar 18.7 % compare
  7. 10 Mauritius 18.7 % compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More agriculture & rural data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in World?
Prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value in World was 14.7 % in 2020, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 16.6 % in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 14.5 % in 2017.
How does World rank for prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value?
World ranks 8th out of 36 groups with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of low birthweight (percent) — value rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-low-birthweight-percent-value/world/

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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.