Around one quarter of all under-fives in the developing world are underweight. This accounts for about 148 million underweight children in developing countries (by the NCHS/WHO/CDC reference population). Of these 148 million underweight children, nearly three quarters live in just 10 countries.

Significant variation in underweight prevalence exists among children under five of the developing world. The highest levels of underweight prevalence are found in South Asia, where more than 40 per cent of children under five are underweight. In sub-Saharan Africa around one quarter of all children under five are underweight. The lowest levels are found in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central and Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS).