Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in El Salvador
El Salvador: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 5.0% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in El Salvador, 1988–2021
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
El Salvador recorded 5.0% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in El Salvador peaked at 11.1% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2014.
El Salvador ranks 60th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in El Salvador, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 11.1% | — |
| 1993 | 8.0% | -27.9% |
| 1998 | 9.7% | +21.2% |
| 2003 | 6.1% | -37.1% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | +9.8% |
| 2014 | 5.0% | -25.4% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.1% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 1 |
| 1990s | 8.8% | 8.0% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 6.4% | 6.1% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
| 2020s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More poverty & inequality data for El Salvador
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 7 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 1.77 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,819 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 1.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 20.61 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 20.6% (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 El Salvador?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in El Salvador was 5.0% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 11.1% in 1988.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2014.
- How does El Salvador rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- El Salvador ranks 60th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.