Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Madagascar
Madagascar: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 22.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Madagascar, 1992–2021
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 Madagascar stood at 22.6%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.4% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Madagascar peaked at 40.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 22.6%, in 2021.
That places Madagascar 10th out of 96 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Madagascar, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 35.2% | — |
| 1993 | 40.9% | +16.2% |
| 1995 | 30.4% | -25.7% |
| 1997 | 35.6% | +17.1% |
| 2004 | 36.7% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 28.4% | -22.6% |
| 2012 | 32.6% | +14.8% |
| 2018 | 26.4% | -19.0% |
| 2021 | 22.6% | -14.4% |
Madagascar compared with similar countries
- Madagascar's 22.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 1.3× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Madagascar's 22.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 1.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.5% | 30.4% | 40.9% | 4 |
| 2000s | 36.7% | 36.7% | 36.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 29.1% | 26.4% | 32.6% | 3 |
| 2020s | 22.6% | 22.6% | 22.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Madagascar
More poverty & inequality data for Madagascar
- 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 3.97 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,426 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 -18.49 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 10.39 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 10.4% (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 Madagascar?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Madagascar was 22.6% 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 Madagascar?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Madagascar?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.6% in 2021.
- How does Madagascar rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Madagascar ranks 10th out of 96 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Madagascar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Madagascar 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.