Portugal: Low-birthweight babies (% of births)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Portugal's low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.07 percentage points on 2019 (from 8.85% to 8.92%).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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 0.1 percentage points in 2012. 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 0.07 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

In 2020, Portugal had the 94th 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 Portugal in the 2020 ranking

• Venezuela, RB — 91st of 157: 9.3%
• Kiribati — 92nd of 157: 9.03%
• Israel — 93rd of 157: 8.98%
• Romania — 95th of 157: 8.82%
• Costa Rica — 96th of 157: 8.72%
• Tajikistan — 97th of 157: 8.72%

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

• Albania — 5.99% (2020)
• Andorra — 9.39% (2020)
• Armenia — 8.27% (2020)
• Austria — 6.31% (2020)
• Azerbaijan — 11.04% (2020)
• Belarus — 5.12% (2020)
• Belgium — 6.76% (2020)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 5.15% (2020)
• Bulgaria — 11.36% (2020)
• Croatia — 4.99% (2020)
• Czechia

More health data for Portugal

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.81% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.4% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 670,341 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 11.85% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 703,389 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 13.67% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.37 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 12.71% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 3.96% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

8.92% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 1.73 percentage points from 7.2% in 2000. The highest value was 8.92% in 2020 and the lowest 7.2% in 2000.

How does Portugal rank?

94th highest of 157 economies with data for 2020.

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

In 2020, Portugal's low-birthweight babies (% of births) rose 0.07 percentage points on 2019 (from 8.85% to 8.92%). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2019), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.02 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 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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