Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in India
India: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 31.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in India, 1989–2020
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
India recorded 31.5% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in India peaked at 55.5% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 2014.
That places India 4th out of 96 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in India, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 55.5% | — |
| 1991 | 52.8% | -4.9% |
| 1992 | 51.3% | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 38.4% | -25.1% |
| 1999 | 45.4% | +18.2% |
| 2006 | 43.5% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 29.4% | -32.4% |
| 2015 | 36.3% | +23.5% |
| 2017 | 33.8% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | -6.8% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 31.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 2.7× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- India's 31.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 17.7%, 1.8× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 55.5% | 55.5% | 55.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 47.0% | 38.4% | 52.8% | 4 |
| 2000s | 43.5% | 43.5% | 43.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 33.2% | 29.4% | 36.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 31.5% | 31.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near India
More poverty & inequality data for India
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 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 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,632 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 0.8468 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 17.32 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 17.3% (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 India?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in India was 31.5% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5% in 1989.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 2014.
- How does India rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- India ranks 4th out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.