Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia was 45.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan is 45.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan peaked at 45.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2002.
Afghanistan ranks 17th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31.6% | — |
| 2001 | 31.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 31.4% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 31.6% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 31.9% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 32.3% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 32.7% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 33.7% | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 34.3% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 35.7% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 36.5% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 37.4% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 38.3% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 39.2% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 40.9% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 41.7% | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 42.4% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 43.1% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 43.7% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 44.5% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 45.4% | +2.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 45.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 40.0%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 45.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 29.5%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 32.4% | 31.4% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.7% | 34.9% | 42.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.2% | 43.1% | 45.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 14 Haiti 45.9% compare
- 15 Guinea 45.7% compare
- 15 Guinea-Bissau 45.7% compare
- 18 Sierra Leone 44.6% compare
- 19 Burkina Faso 44.3% compare
- 20 Angola 43.8% compare
More gender data for Afghanistan
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 20,358 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 1.64 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 29,681 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 29,681 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.43 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 707,563 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 739,025 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 690,872 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 720,642 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 674,248 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan?
- Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia in Afghanistan was 45.4% in 2023, according to Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 45.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest share of women of reproductive age who have anemia recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2002.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share of women of reproductive age who have anemia?
- Afghanistan ranks 17th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of women of reproductive age who have anemia rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory / World Health Statistics - World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women of reproductive age who have anemia. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49) with anemia. Anemia is a condition that develops when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.