Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India

India: Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children was 31.5 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
31.5
Change on year
down 6.8%
World rank
4th
of 96 countries
All-time high
55.5
in 1989
All-time low
29.4
in 2014
Years of data
10
1989–2020

Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India, 1989–2020

02040601989200420201989: 55.51991: 52.81992: 51.31997: 38.41999: 45.42006: 43.52014: 29.42015: 36.32017: 33.82020: 31.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

India recorded 31.5 for extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children 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, extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children 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.

Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India, year by year

Annual values for Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India, 1989 to 2020.
Year Value 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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 55.5 55.5 55.5 1
1990s 46.97 38.4 52.8 4
2000s 43.5 43.5 43.5 1
2010s 33.17 29.4 36.3 3
2020s 31.5 31.5 31.5 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 Yemen 40.7 compare
  2. 2 Niger 34.6 compare
  3. 3 Timor-Leste 31.9 compare
  4. 5 Burundi 28.3 compare
  5. 6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 25 compare
  6. 7 Nigeria 24.4 compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More poverty & inequality data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India?
Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India was 31.5 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 55.5 in 1989.
What is the lowest extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 29.4 in 2014.
How does India rank for extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children?
India ranks 4th out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
Is extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children in India. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://poverty.statizoid.com/stat/extreme-poverty-vs-prevalence-of-underweight-children/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Extreme poverty vs prevalence of underweight children
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 957 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed