Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 4.6% in 2012. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua, 1993–2012
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
The most recent figure for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua is 4.6%, measured in 2012.
The figure is down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua peaked at 10.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 2004.
Nicaragua ranks 64th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 9.6% | — |
| 1998 | 10.3% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 7.7% | -25.2% |
| 2004 | 3.4% | -55.8% |
| 2005 | 6.2% | +82.4% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -8.1% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -19.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.8% | 3.4% | 7.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 62 Ecuador 4.9% compare
- 62 South Africa 4.9% compare
- 65 Iran, Islamic Republic of 4.3% compare
- 66 Mexico 4.2% compare
- 67 Iraq 3.9% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Nicaragua
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 0 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 2.22 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,515 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 6.63 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 27.78 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 27.8% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Nicaragua was 4.6% in 2012, 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 10.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 2004.
- How does Nicaragua rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Nicaragua ranks 64th out of 96 countries with data for 2012.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.