Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 18.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan, 1997–2022
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan is 18.4%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan peaked at 44.9% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 18.4%, in 2022.
Afghanistan ranks 17th of 96 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 44.9% | — |
| 2004 | 31.7% | -29.4% |
| 2013 | 24.6% | -22.4% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | -22.4% |
| 2022 | 18.4% | -3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 44.9% | 44.9% | 44.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.7% | 31.7% | 31.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 21.9% | 19.1% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 18.4% | 18.4% | 18.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More poverty & inequality data for Afghanistan
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.84 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,359 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 6.76 (2020)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 6.8% (2020)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2020)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate -19.16 % change on previous year (2020)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.661 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1662 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Afghanistan was 18.4% in 2022, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 44.9% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.4% in 2022.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Afghanistan ranks 17th out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.