Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia
Cambodia: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 16.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia, 1996–2021
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 Cambodia is 16.3%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 43.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia peaked at 42.6% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2021.
That places Cambodia 25th out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 42.6% | — |
| 2000 | 39.7% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | -28.7% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 28.9% | +2.1% |
| 2014 | 24.1% | -16.6% |
| 2021 | 16.3% | -32.4% |
Cambodia compared with similar countries
- Cambodia's 16.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Cambodia's 16.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3%, 1.1× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.6% | 42.6% | 42.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 32.1% | 28.3% | 39.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 26.5% | 24.1% | 28.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Cambodia
- 22 Sri Lanka 17.1% compare
- 23 Burkina Faso 16.9% compare
- 24 Philippines 16.7% compare
- 26 Senegal 16.2% compare
- 27 Indonesia 15.9% compare
- 28 Mozambique 15.4% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Cambodia
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.58 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,722 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 1.86 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 11.95 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate -11.57 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.506 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 8.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Cambodia was 16.3% in 2021, 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 Cambodia?
- The highest recorded value was 42.6% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Cambodia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2021.
- How does Cambodia rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Cambodia ranks 25th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Cambodia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 43.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cambodia 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.