Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan
Bhutan: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 8.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan, 1987–2023
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
Bhutan recorded 8.7% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan peaked at 34.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 8.7%, in 2023.
That places Bhutan 55th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 34.0% | — |
| 1999 | 13.9% | -59.1% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | -25.2% |
| 2010 | 12.7% | +22.1% |
| 2023 | 8.7% | -31.5% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 8.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 75% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 8.7% is below the median for South Asia, which is 17.7%, 49% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 34.0% | 34.0% | 34.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.9% | 13.9% | 13.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 12.7% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 1 |
| 2020s | 8.7% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More poverty & inequality data for Bhutan
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.46 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,552 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 2.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.38 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.4% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Bhutan was 8.7% in 2023, 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 34.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.7% in 2023.
- How does Bhutan rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Bhutan ranks 55th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.