India vs World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age
Prevalence of stunting, height for age over time
- India
- World
How they compare
India currently reports 32.9% against 23.2% in World, a difference of 9.7%.
That makes India's figure about 1.4 times World's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
India ranks 21st and World ranks 22nd of 162 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.8% | 31.2% | 16.6% | India |
| 2010s | 39.2% | 25.0% | 14.2% | India |
| 2020s | 33.2% | 22.7% | 10.5% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prevalence of stunting, height for age, India or World?
- India, at 32.9% against 23.2% in World as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prevalence of stunting, height for age between India and World?
- 9.7%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and World?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do India and World rank globally for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- India ranks 21st and World ranks 22nd of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Prevalence of stunting is the percentage of children 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.