| Code | SH.STA.MALN.MA.ZS |
| Indicator Name | Prevalence of underweight, weight for age, male (% of children under 5) |
| Short definition | Prevalence of underweight, male, is the percentage of boys under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards. |
| Long definition | Prevalence of underweight, male, is the percentage of boys under age 5 whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards. |
| Source | UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology;
World Health Organization (WHO), note: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME); Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology;
World Bank (WB), note: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME); Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology |
| Topic | Health: Nutrition |
| Dataset | WDI |
| Unit of measure | Percentage |
| Periodicity | Annual |
| Reference period | 1986-2024 |
| Aggregation method | NA |
| Statistical concept and methodology | Methodology: Survey estimates are based on standardized methodology using the WHO Child Growth Standards as described elsewhere.
Statistical concept(s): Child underweight belongs to a set of indicators whose purpose is to measure nutritional imbalance and malnutrition resulting in undernutrition (assessed by underweight, stunting and wasting) and overweight. |
| Development relevance | Child growth is an internationally accepted outcome reflecting child nutritional status. |
| Limitations and exceptions | Survey estimates come with levels of uncertainty due to both sampling error and non-sampling error (e.g., measurement technical error, recording error etc.,). None of the two sources of errors have been fully taken into account for deriving estimates neither at country nor at regional or worldwide levels. |
| Other notes | Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them into a vicious cycle of recurring sickness and faltering growth (UNICEF). Estimates are from national survey data. Being even mildly underweight increases the risk of death and inhibits cognitive development in children. And it perpetuates the problem across generations, as malnourished women are more likely to have low-birth-weight babies. Stunting, or being below median height for age, is often used as a proxy for multifaceted deprivation and as an indicator of long-term changes in malnutrition. |
| License URL | https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/public-licenses#cc-by |
| License Type | CC BY-4.0 |
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