Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Sub-Saharan Africa's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) fell 0.38 percentage points on 2018 (from 60.91% to 60.53%).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.59 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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 0.9 percentage points in 2008. 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 downward, about 0.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 97% 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

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

Prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 44.9% (2019)
• 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

More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 14.57% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.02% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 263.91 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 39.81% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 269.77 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 40.95% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 533.68 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 40.38% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Sub-Saharan Africa's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months)?

60.53% in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 11.05 percentage points from 71.58% in 2000. The highest value was 71.58% in 2000 and the lowest 60.53% in 2019.

Is the latest change in prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Sub-Saharan Africa?

In 2019, Sub-Saharan Africa's prevalence of anemia among children (% of children ages 6-59 months) fell 0.38 percentage points on 2018 (from 60.91% to 60.53%). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was −0.59 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 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.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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