Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Pakistan
Pakistan: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 23.1% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Pakistan, 1986–2018
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
Pakistan recorded 23.1% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Pakistan peaked at 44.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 23.1%, in 2018.
That places Pakistan 9th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 44.4% | — |
| 1991 | 38.4% | -13.5% |
| 1992 | 35.3% | -8.1% |
| 1995 | 34.2% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 31.2% | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 31.4% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 31.8% | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -27.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.4% | 44.4% | 44.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 34.2% | 38.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 31.2% | 31.2% | 31.2% | 1 |
| 2010s | 28.8% | 23.1% | 31.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 25.0% compare
- 7 Nigeria 24.4% compare
- 8 Lao People's Democratic Republic 24.3% compare
- 10 Madagascar 22.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 22.4% compare
- 12 Bangladesh 21.7% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Pakistan
- 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 3.6 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,634 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 4.94 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.36 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.4% (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 Pakistan?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Pakistan was 23.1% in 2018, 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 44.4% in 1986.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.1% in 2018.
- How does Pakistan rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Pakistan ranks 9th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.