Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Uganda
Uganda: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 9.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Uganda, 1988–2022
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
Uganda recorded 9.7% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2022.
The figure is up 27.6% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Uganda peaked at 21.3% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 7.6%, in 2020.
That places Uganda 49th 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 Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 19.7% | — |
| 1995 | 21.3% | +8.1% |
| 2000 | 19.2% | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | -15.1% |
| 2009 | 15.7% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | -10.2% |
| 2012 | 11.9% | -15.6% |
| 2014 | 11.7% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | -24.8% |
| 2016 | 10.4% | +18.2% |
| 2018 | 7.7% | -26.0% |
| 2020 | 7.6% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 9.7% | +27.6% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 9.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 57% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 9.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 68% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 19.7% | 19.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 21.3% | 21.3% | 21.3% | 1 |
| 2000s | 17.1% | 15.7% | 19.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 7.7% | 14.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 8.6% | 7.6% | 9.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More poverty & inequality data for Uganda
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 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 4.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,920 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 -1.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 12.46 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 12.5% (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 Uganda?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Uganda was 9.7% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1995.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.6% in 2020.
- How does Uganda rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Uganda ranks 49th out of 96 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.