Early-demographic dividend: Low-birthweight babies (% of births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Early-demographic dividend's low-birthweight babies (% of births) fell 0.14 percentage points on 2019 (from 20.44% to 20.3%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was −0.2 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 above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 0.32 percentage points in 2014. 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 downward, about 0.18 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 99% 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

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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

• Algeria — 7.2% (2020)
• Bahrain — 12.44% (2020)
• Iraq — 10.86% (2020)
• Israel — 8.98% (2020)
• Jordan — 18.94% (2020)
• Kuwait — 14.37% (2020)
• Lebanon — 12.6% (2020)
• Malta — 7.18% (2020)
• Morocco — 14.77% (2020)
• Oman — 13.24% (2020)
• Qatar — 9.96% (2020)

More health data for Early-demographic dividend

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 8.7% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 8.95% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 469.55 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 26.51% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 497.73 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 27.33% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 967.28 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 26.92% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Early-demographic dividend's low-birthweight babies (% of births)?

20.3% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 3.87 percentage points from 24.17% in 2000. The highest value was 24.17% in 2000 and the lowest 20.3% in 2020.

Is the latest change in low-birthweight babies (% of births) unusual for Early-demographic dividend?

In 2020, Early-demographic dividend's low-birthweight babies (% of births) fell 0.14 percentage points on 2019 (from 20.44% to 20.3%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was −0.2 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 above 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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