Share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of)

China (People’s Republic of): Share of low birthweight babies born was 4.97 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
4.97
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
146th
of 157 countries
All-time high
5.74
in 2000
All-time low
4.96
in 2019
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of), 2000–2020

02462000201020202000: 5.72001: 5.72002: 5.72003: 5.62004: 5.52005: 5.52006: 5.42007: 5.32008: 5.32009: 5.22010: 5.22011: 5.22012: 5.12013: 5.12014: 5.12015: 52016: 52017: 52018: 52019: 52020: 5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of) is 4.97, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of) peaked at 5.74 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.96, in 2019.

China (People’s Republic of) ranks 146th of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.49 5.22 5.74 10
2010s 5.06 4.96 5.18 10
2020s 4.97 4.97 4.97 1

Countries ranked near China (People’s Republic of)

  1. 143 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.15 compare
  2. 144 Belarus 5.12 compare
  3. 145 Croatia 4.99 compare
  4. 147 Mongolia 4.9 compare
  5. 148 Denmark 4.81 compare
  6. 149 Norway 4.44 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

More population data for China (People’s Republic of)

All data for China (People’s Republic of) →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of)?
Share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of) was 4.97 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The highest recorded value was 5.74 in 2000.
What is the lowest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in China (People’s Republic of)?
The lowest recorded value was 4.96 in 2019.
How does China (People’s Republic of) rank for share of low birthweight babies born?
China (People’s Republic of) ranks 146th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of low birthweight babies born rising or falling in China (People’s Republic of)?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China (People’s Republic of) data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of low birthweight babies born. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of low birthweight babies born in China (People’s Republic of). Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-low-birthweight-babies-born/china/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of low birthweight babies born
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
157 places, 3,297 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed