Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Senegal
Senegal: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 16.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Senegal, 1986–2023
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 Senegal is 16.2%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Senegal peaked at 20.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 12.8%, in 2014.
Senegal ranks 26th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Senegal, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 16.9% | — |
| 1991 | 20.4% | +20.7% |
| 1993 | 19.0% | -6.9% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 17.8% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 14.5% | -18.5% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | +26.9% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | -21.7% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 12.8% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | +9.4% |
| 2016 | 13.8% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 14.4% | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 15.1% | +4.9% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 16.2% | +12.5% |
Senegal compared with similar countries
- Senegal's 16.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Senegal's 16.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 16.9% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.3% | 18.5% | 20.4% | 3 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.5% | 17.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.7% | 12.8% | 18.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 16.2% | 16.2% | 16.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Senegal
- 23 Burkina Faso 16.9% compare
- 24 Philippines 16.7% compare
- 25 Cambodia 16.3% compare
- 27 Indonesia 15.9% compare
- 28 Mozambique 15.4% compare
- 29 Malaysia 15.3% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Senegal
- 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 3.82 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,192 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 13.47 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 19.39 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 19.4% (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 Senegal?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Senegal was 16.2% in 2023, 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 Senegal?
- The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Senegal?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.8% in 2014.
- How does Senegal rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Senegal ranks 26th out of 96 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Senegal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Senegal 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.
Download this data
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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.