Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania
Tanzania: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 11.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania, 1991–2022
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
The most recent figure for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania is 11.4%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and down 19.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania peaked at 26.8% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 10.8%, in 2021.
That places Tanzania 42nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.8% | — |
| 1996 | 26.8% | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 25.3% | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | -34.0% |
| 2009 | 16.4% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -12.4% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 13.4% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 13.7% | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 14.6% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -26.0% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | +5.6% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 11.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 98% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 11.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 80% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.6% | 24.8% | 26.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 16.4% | 16.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 14.2% | 13.1% | 16.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 11.1% | 10.8% | 11.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More poverty & inequality data for Tanzania
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 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 4.61 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,961 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 8.03 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 11.48 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 11.5% (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 Tanzania?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Tanzania was 11.4% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 1996.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.8% in 2021.
- How does Tanzania rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Tanzania ranks 42nd out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.