Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador
Ecuador: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 4.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador, 1986–2024
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 Ecuador is 4.9%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.0% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador peaked at 14.5% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 4.3%, in 2023.
That places Ecuador 62nd out of 96 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 14.5% | — |
| 1999 | 10.4% | -28.3% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | -35.6% |
| 2006 | 6.8% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 6.4% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 5.1% | -20.3% |
| 2023 | 4.3% | -15.7% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | +14.0% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 4.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 1.2× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 4.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 1.3× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 14.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 6.8% | 6.7% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.1% | 6.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
- 59 Tajikistan 5.2% compare
- 60 El Salvador 5.0% compare
- 60 Eswatini 5.0% compare
- 62 South Africa 4.9% compare
- 64 Nicaragua 4.6% compare
- 65 Iran 4.3% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Ecuador
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 10 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 1.82 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,007 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 -0.4522 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 15.13 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 15.1% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ecuador was 4.9% in 2024, 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 1986.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3% in 2023.
- How does Ecuador rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Ecuador ranks 62nd out of 96 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.