Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Zambia
Zambia: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 11.8% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Zambia, 1992–2018
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
Zambia recorded 11.8% for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Zambia peaked at 23.2% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2018.
That places Zambia 40th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 21.2% | — |
| 1996 | 19.6% | -7.5% |
| 1999 | 18.9% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 23.2% | +22.8% |
| 2007 | 14.9% | -35.8% |
| 2013 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.8% | -20.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 18.9% | 21.2% | 3 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 14.9% | 23.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 11.8% | 14.9% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More poverty & inequality data for Zambia
- 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 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,344 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 -4.62 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 16.23 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 16.2% (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 Zambia?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Zambia was 11.8% in 2018, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.2% in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Zambia ranks 40th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.