Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala
Guatemala: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 14.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala, 1987–2021
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
In 2021, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala stood at 14.4%.
That represents a change of up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala peaked at 27.8% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 2015.
Guatemala ranks 34th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 27.8% | — |
| 1995 | 21.7% | -21.9% |
| 1999 | 20.3% | -6.5% |
| 2000 | 18.8% | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 14.1% | -22.5% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | -12.1% |
| 2021 | 14.4% | +16.1% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 14.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 3.6× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 14.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 3.7%, 3.9× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 27.8% | 27.8% | 27.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 21.0% | 20.3% | 21.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.0% | 14.1% | 18.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.4% | 1 |
| 2020s | 14.4% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More poverty & inequality data for Guatemala
- 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 2.31 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,822 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 -5.65 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.3 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.3% (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 Guatemala?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Guatemala was 14.4% 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 2015.
- How does Guatemala rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Guatemala ranks 34th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.