Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia
Gambia: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 11.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia, 1996–2020
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 2020, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia stood at 11.6%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
The figure is down 16.5% on the previous year and down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia peaked at 23.2% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 2020.
Gambia ranks 41st of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 23.2% | — |
| 2000 | 15.4% | -33.6% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 17.9% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 16.5% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 13.9% | -15.8% |
| 2020 | 11.6% | -16.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.2% | 23.2% | 23.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 15.6% | 15.4% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.4% | 13.9% | 17.9% | 4 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 11.6% | 11.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More poverty & inequality data for Gambia
- 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 4.01 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 800.7 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 -0.5342 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 9.46 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.5% (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 Gambia?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Gambia was 11.6% in 2020, 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 2020.
- How does Gambia rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Gambia ranks 41st out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.