Malawi vs World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age

Malawi
33.2%
in 2024
World
23.2%
in 2024
Malawi rank
19th
World rank
22nd

Prevalence of stunting, height for age over time

  • Malawi
  • World
0204060200020122024

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 33.2% against 23.2% in World, a difference of 10.0%.

That makes Malawi's figure about 1.4 times World's.

Across all 25 years both countries report, Malawi has been ahead every year.

Malawi ranks 19th and World ranks 22nd of 162 countries.

Malawi has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi World Difference Ahead
2000s 53.3% 31.2% 22.1% Malawi
2010s 40.2% 25.0% 15.2% Malawi
2020s 33.5% 22.7% 10.8% Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher prevalence of stunting, height for age, Malawi or World?
Malawi, at 33.2% against 23.2% in World as of 2024.
What is the difference in prevalence of stunting, height for age between Malawi and World?
10.0%, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and World?
25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
How do Malawi and World rank globally for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
Malawi ranks 19th 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.

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Malawi vs World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/malawi/world/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/malawi/world/">Malawi vs World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
207 places, 5,161 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.