Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 3.5% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia, 1994–2020
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
Saudi Arabia recorded 3.5% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.5% on the previous year and down 38.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia peaked at 13.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 2018.
Saudi Arabia ranks 70th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 13.5% | — |
| 2004 | 5.3% | -60.7% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | -19.3% |
| 2017 | 6.2% | +34.8% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -46.8% |
| 2019 | 4.0% | +21.2% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -12.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.5% | 13.5% | 13.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 3.3% | 6.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More poverty & inequality data for Saudi Arabia
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,122 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 2.39 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.99 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 8.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 10.76 % change on previous year (2023)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.228 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 24.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Saudi Arabia was 3.5% in 2020, 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 2018.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 70th out of 96 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.