Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 25.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1995–2023
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
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 25.0% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2023.
The figure is up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 30.7% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 2017.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 6th out of 96 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 30.7% | — |
| 2001 | 30.3% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 25.6% | -15.5% |
| 2010 | 24.2% | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 23.4% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 25.0% | +8.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 25.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 25.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 1.7× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.7% | 30.7% | 30.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 28.0% | 25.6% | 30.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.6% | 23.1% | 24.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 25.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More poverty & inequality data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 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 6.05 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 871.8 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 0.9963 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 9.33 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.3% (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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Democratic Republic of Congo was 25.0% 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 30.7% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 2017.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.