Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) was 36.8 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 36.8 %.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 43.5 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.7 %, in 2016.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.5 % | — |
| 2001 | 42.9 % | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 42.3 % | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 41.8 % | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 41.2 % | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 40.6 % | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 39.9 % | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 39.2 % | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 38.5 % | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 37.8 % | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 37.2 % | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 36.7 % | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 36.3 % | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 36 % | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 35.9 % | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 35.8 % | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 35.7 % | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 35.7 % | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 35.7 % | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 35.7 % | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 35.8 % | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 36 % | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 36.3 % | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 36.8 % | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.77 % | 37.8 % | 43.5 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.07 % | 35.7 % | 37.2 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.22 % | 35.8 % | 36.8 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 India 53.7 % compare
- 5 Benin 50 % compare
- 6 Cabo Verde 40.6 % compare
- 6 Niger 47.1 % compare
- 6 Syrian Arab Republic 31 % compare
- 7 Mozambique 47 % compare
- 7 Timor-Leste 29.7 % compare
- 8 Congo 46.7 % compare
- 8 Türkiye 29.3 % compare
- 9 Chad 46.5 % compare
- 9 Pakistan 46.5 % compare
- 9 Melanesia 29.1 % compare
More economy & growth data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 4.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 3.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per capita 384.35 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2297 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 8.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 358.68 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2144 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 1.12 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,874 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 10.5 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa was 36.8 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.7 % in 2016.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years)?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) (percent) — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.