Low birthweight and short gestation, new risk factors in GBD 2016, were the third-ranked Level 3 risk factor globally for all-ages DALYs in 2016, which reflects a 61·6% (59·3–64·0) decrease in all-ages DALY rates from 5112·8 (4934·2–5389·6) DALYs per 100 000 in 1990 to 1960·8 (1862·0–2060·3) DALYs in 2016. In 1990, this risk factor was the second-ranked Level 3 risk factor globally for all-age DALYs; most of the decrease from 1990 to 2016 is due to a lower mortality burden in the causes attributable to low birthweight and short gestation rather than changes in exposure itself. Increasing SDI was associated with decreasing exposure, but the exposure gradient between SDI quintiles was not as large as the differential between high and low SDI in attributable burden. Exposure was highest in South Asia, eastern sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of the western Sahel zone, while attributable burden was highest in South Asia and parts of the western Sahel zone. The trend in exposure to low birthweight for gestation decreased at the global level from 1990 to 2016, reflective of the overall decrease in
