Afghanistan's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) was 44.9% in 2019, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 1 percentage points from 43.9% in 2009.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 44.9% | 2019 |
| Five years earlier | 43.6% | 2014 |
| Ten years earlier | 43.9% | 2009 |
| Highest | 51.5% | 2000 |
| Lowest | 43.5% | 2011 |
| Average since 2010 | 43.9% | 2010–2019 |
| First recorded | 51.5% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2019, Afghanistan's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 0.4 percentage points on 2018 (from 44.5% to 44.9%).
Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.4 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.7 percentage points in 2001. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.14 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2019, Afghanistan had the 50th highest value of the 190 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 44.9% | 2019 |
| World | 40.52% | 2019 |
| Low income | 58.89% | 2019 |
Closest to Afghanistan in the 2019 ranking
- Papua New Guinea — 47th of 190: 46.7%
- Timor-Leste — 48th of 190: 46.3%
- Namibia — 49th of 190: 46.1%
- Bhutan — 51st of 190: 44.7%
- Nepal — 52nd of 190: 44.6%
- South Africa — 53rd of 190: 44.4%
What this measures
Prevalence of anemia, children ages 6-59 months, is the percentage of children ages 6-59 months whose hemoglobin level is less than 110 grams per liter, adjusted for altitude.
Limitations: Data for blood haemoglobin concentrations are still limited, compared to other nutritional indicators such as child anthropometry. As a result, the estimates may not capture the full variation across countries and regions.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 20 values
| Year | Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 44.9 |
| 2018 | 44.5 |
| 2017 | 44.2 |
| 2016 | 43.9 |
| 2015 | 43.7 |
| 2014 | 43.6 |
| 2013 | 43.5 |
| 2012 | 43.5 |
| 2011 | 43.5 |
| 2010 | 43.7 |
| 2009 |
Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies
- Algeria — 34.3% (2019)
- Bahrain — 23.4% (2019)
- Djibouti — 52% (2019)
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — 32.2% (2019)
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 26.5% (2019)
- Iraq — 29.4% (2019)
- Israel — 14.3% (2019)
- Jordan — 32.7% (2019)
- Kuwait
More health data for Afghanistan
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 15.55% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.91% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 9.12 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 42.04% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 9.54 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 43.07% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 18.66 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 42.56% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.99% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Afghanistan's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months)?
- 44.9% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 6.6 percentage points from 51.5% in 2000. The highest value was 51.5% in 2000 and the lowest 43.5% in 2011.
- How does Afghanistan rank?
- 50th highest of 190 economies with data for 2019.
- Is the latest change in prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Afghanistan?
- In 2019, Afghanistan's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 0.4 percentage points on 2018 (from 44.5% to 44.9%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.39 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.6 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.ANM.CHLD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository/World Health Statistics, World Health Organization (WHO) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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