Philippines: Low-birthweight babies (% of births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Philippines' low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.04 percentage points on 2019 (from 21.1% to 21.14%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 rise was 0.12 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.03 percentage points in 2016. 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 0.00888 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 53% 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, Philippines had the 4th 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 Philippines in the 2020 ranking

• India — 1st of 157: 27.44%
• Bangladesh — 2nd of 157: 23.05%
• Comoros — 3rd of 157: 23.03%
• Liberia — 5th of 157: 19.88%
• Nepal — 6th of 157: 19.73%
• Guinea-Bissau — 7th of 157: 19.55%

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

• Australia — 6.55% (2020)
• Brunei Darussalam — 13.64% (2020)
• Cambodia — 11.45% (2020)
• China — 4.97% (2020)
• Fiji — 7.4% (2020)
• Indonesia — 9.93% (2020)
• Japan — 11.3% (2020)
• Kiribati — 9.03% (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — 7.46% (2020)
• Lao PDR — 16.73% (2020)
• Malaysia

More health data for Philippines

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 7.37% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 7.96% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 15.5 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 26.48% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 16.19 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 27.8% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 31.69 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 27.14% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 9.28% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Philippines's low-birthweight babies (% of births)?

21.14% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 0.6 percentage points from 20.55% in 2000. The highest value was 21.18% in 2012 and the lowest 20.55% in 2000.

How does Philippines rank?

4th highest of 157 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Philippines' low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.04 percentage points on 2019 (from 21.1% to 21.14%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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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