The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins University, developed annual country, regional and global low birthweight estimates for 2000-2015. This is the first time such estimates have been made available globally, making it possible to track progress and support various initiatives including the World Health Assembly (WHA) Nutrition Targets, the Every Newborn Action Plan and the Global Strategy for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health.
In total 1,447 data points for 148 countries (1,218 administrative data points from 96 countries, with 1,026 high coverage and 192 moderate coverage; and 229 adjusted survey estimates from 86 countries) were used. Country input data were obtained through systematic searches of National Statistical Office and Ministry of Health websites, from websites of the household survey programmes of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys and from data gathered during an extensive country consultation.
Key findings of the 2019 edition
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Other available related materials and tools
Click here to open the interactive dashboard
The dashboard generates graphs and charts, using the latest joint low birthweight estimates. Prevalence estimates are presented by different country groupings (UN, UNICEF, WHO and World Bank income groups).
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- Country, regional and global joint estimates tables
Country estimates, as well as model input data (survey and administrative), are included in the WHO Global Nutrition Targets Tracking Tool, where progress can be assessed through baseline, current trends and projections to 2025. Countries can also explore different scenarios moving towards their national targets by means of a what-if feature. - Updated 2019 regional classifications
The detailed methodology is described in Blencowe H, et al. National, regional, and worldwide estimates of low birthweight in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis. Lancet Glob Health 2019.
You can download the low birthweight estimates directly from GHO in other table formats:
- Low birth weight, prevalence (%) in the WHO Global Health Observatory (GHO)
- Low birth weight (in thousands) in the WHO Global Health Observatory (GHO)