Central African Republic: Low-birthweight babies (% of births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Central African Republic's low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.01 percentage points on 2019 (from 16.34% to 16.35%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.2 percentage points in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.03 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.06 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 69% 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 2020, Central African Republic had the 24th highest value of the 157 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.

Closest to Central African Republic in the 2020 ranking

• South Africa — 21st of 157: 16.64%
• Suriname — 22nd of 157: 16.46%
• Benin — 23rd of 157: 16.45%
• Trinidad and Tobago — 25th of 157: 16.27%
• St. Lucia — 26th of 157: 16.25%
• Namibia — 27th of 157: 15.58%

What this measures

Low-birthweight babies are newborns weighing less than 2,500 grams, with the measurement taken within the first hour of life, before significant postnatal weight loss has occurred.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 21 values

Low-birthweight babies (% of births) in nearby economies

• Angola — 15.53% (2020)
• Benin — 16.45% (2020)
• Botswana — 16.83% (2020)
• Burkina Faso — 18.47% (2020)
• Burundi — 14.78% (2020)
• Cameroon — 12.51% (2020)
• Comoros — 23.03% (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 10.16% (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — 11.93% (2020)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 18.29% (2020)
• Eritrea

More health data for Central African Republic

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 17.99% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 19.74% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 1.33 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 46.47% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 1.35 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 51.07% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 2.68 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 48.68% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Central African Republic's low-birthweight babies (% of births)?

16.35% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 1.11 percentage points from 15.25% in 2000. The highest value was 16.39% in 2016 and the lowest 15.25% in 2000.

How does Central African Republic rank?

24th highest of 157 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in low-birthweight babies (% of births) unusual for Central African Republic?

In 2020, Central African Republic's low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.01 percentage points on 2019 (from 16.34% to 16.35%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.06 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.06 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.BRTW.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: data.unicef.org; World Health Organization (WHO), uri: data.unicef.org, note: UNICEF-WHO Low birthweight estimates 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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