Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger
Niger: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 34.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger, 1985–2022
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 2022, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger stood at 34.6%.
The figure is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger peaked at 46.6% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2019.
That places Niger 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 45.0% | — |
| 1992 | 38.7% | -14.0% |
| 1998 | 46.6% | +20.4% |
| 2000 | 43.1% | -7.5% |
| 2006 | 35.6% | -17.4% |
| 2007 | 37.9% | +6.5% |
| 2008 | 34.6% | -8.7% |
| 2009 | 33.5% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 40.0% | +19.4% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | -11.3% |
| 2013 | 33.1% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 34.6% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 35.8% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 32.0% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 37.5% | +17.2% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | -16.5% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 33.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 34.6% | +4.2% |
Niger compared with similar countries
- Niger's 34.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 2.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Niger's 34.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 2.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.0% | 45.0% | 45.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 42.7% | 38.7% | 46.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 36.9% | 33.5% | 43.1% | 5 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 31.3% | 40.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 33.7% | 33.2% | 34.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Niger
More poverty & inequality data for Niger
- 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 6.06 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 577.4 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 18.13 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 8.05 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 8.1% (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 Niger?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Niger was 34.6% in 2022, 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 Niger?
- The highest recorded value was 46.6% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Niger?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2019.
- How does Niger rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Niger ranks 2nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Niger?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Niger 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.