Malawi vs Nigeria: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female

Malawi
31.8%
in 2020
Nigeria
32.5%
in 2021
Malawi rank
15th
Nigeria rank
13th

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female over time

  • Malawi
  • Nigeria
0204060199020052021

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 32.5% against 31.8% in Malawi, a difference of 0.7%.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 5 shared years of data; in 2014 it was Malawi ahead.

Malawi ranks 15th and Nigeria ranks 13th of 83 countries.

Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi Nigeria Difference Ahead
2010s 36.6% 34.4% 2.2% Malawi
2020s 31.8% 26.9% 4.9% Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of stunting, height for age, female, Malawi or Nigeria?
Nigeria, at 32.5% against 31.8% in Malawi as of 2021.
What is the difference in prevalence of stunting, height for age, female between Malawi and Nigeria?
0.7%, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Nigeria?
5 years are reported by both, from 2014 to 2020.
How do Malawi and Nigeria rank globally for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
Malawi ranks 15th and Nigeria ranks 13th of 83 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malawi vs Nigeria: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/malawi/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 730 data points, 1986–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of stunting, female, is the percentage of girls under age 5 whose height for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. For children up to two years old height is measured by recumbent length. For older children height is measured by stature while standing. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.