North America vs South Africa: Prevalence of stunting, height for age
Prevalence of stunting, height for age over time
- North America
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 24.4% against 4.1% in North America, a difference of 20.3%.
That makes South Africa's figure about 6.0 times North America's.
Across all 25 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
North America ranks 42nd and South Africa ranks 40th of 45 groups.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North America | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.8% | 25.7% | 22.9% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 22.3% | 19.5% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.7% | 23.4% | 19.7% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prevalence of stunting, height for age, North America or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 24.4% against 4.1% in North America as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prevalence of stunting, height for age between North America and South Africa?
- 20.3%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North America and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do North America and South Africa rank globally for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- North America ranks 42nd and South Africa ranks 40th of 45 groups.
- 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.