Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 21.2% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia, 1992–2019
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
In 2019, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia stood at 21.2%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 9.8% on the previous year and down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia peaked at 41.9% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 2019.
That places Ethiopia 13th out of 96 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 41.9% | — |
| 2000 | 41.8% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 34.3% | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 29.2% | -14.9% |
| 2014 | 26.5% | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 23.5% | -11.3% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | -9.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 21.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 21.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.9% | 41.9% | 41.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.0% | 34.3% | 41.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 25.1% | 21.2% | 29.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
- 14 Benin 19.6% compare
- 15 Myanmar 19.5% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 18.8% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Ethiopia
- 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 3.99 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,632 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 -0.9299 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via -50 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.497 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 10.2% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Ethiopia was 21.2% in 2019, 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 41.9% in 1992.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 2019.
- How does Ethiopia rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Ethiopia ranks 13th out of 96 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.