Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 0.6% in 2019. ▬ Flat
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom, 2007–2019
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
In 2019, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom stood at 0.6%.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom peaked at 0.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 2011.
That places United Kingdom 93rd out of 96 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 0.7% | — |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | -83.3% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | +500.0% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -16.7% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 0.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.8%, 21% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 0.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.6%, 23% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 10 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 91 Tunisia 1.6% compare
- 92 Turkey 1.5% compare
- 94 Chile 0.5% compare
- 95 South Korea 0.4% compare
- 95 United States 0.4% compare
More poverty & inequality data for United Kingdom
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 6 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 1.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 7,138 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 -7.54 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 34.91 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 34.9% (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 United Kingdom?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in United Kingdom was 0.6% in 2019, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 0.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 2011.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- United Kingdom ranks 93rd out of 96 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.