Height-for-age <-2 SD (stunting) by country
Countries reporting
96
Highest
52.8
Burundi
Lowest
0.8518
Korea
Median
18.46
Years covered
40
1985–2024
Data points
948
What the numbers show
Height-for-age <-2 SD (stunting) is currently reported for 96 countries. The highest value is 52.8 in Burundi; the lowest is 0.8518 in Korea.
The median across all reporting countries is 18.46, and the mean is 20.6.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 62.
Over the past decade 17 countries rose and 78 fell. The largest increase was in United States (up 72.7%), and the largest decrease in Uzbekistan (down 66.8%).
Height-for-age <-2 SD: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burundi | 52.8 | 2024 | up 1.5% | falling |
| 2 | Yemen | 48.54 | 2022 | up 4.2% | falling |
| 3 | Niger | 47.7 | 2022 | up 19.6% | flat |
| 4 | Timor-Leste | 46.69 | 2020 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 5 | Guatemala | 46 | 2021 | down 10.7% | falling |
| 6 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 44.7 | 2023 | up 4.7% | falling |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 44.6 | 2022 | up 10.4% | falling |
| 8 | Madagascar | 39.84 | 2021 | down 20.1% | falling |
| 9 | Central African Republic | 37.9 | 2022 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 10 | Pakistan | 37.63 | 2018 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 11 | Ethiopia | 36.78 | 2019 | down 17.2% | falling |
| 12 | Mozambique | 36.73 | 2022 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 13 | Lesotho | 35.57 | 2024 | up 6.4% | falling |
| 14 | India | 35.47 | 2020 | down 25.7% | falling |
| 15 | Malawi | 34.9 | 2020 | down 26.2% | falling |
| 16 | Zambia | 34.59 | 2018 | down 24.5% | falling |
| 17 | Benin | 34.13 | 2021 | down 8.6% | flat |
| 18 | Nigeria | 33.8 | 2021 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 19 | Rwanda | 33.12 | 2020 | down 25.3% | falling |
| 20 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 32.8 | 2023 | down 25.8% | falling |
| 21 | Chad | 31.92 | 2022 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 22 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 30.01 | 2022 | down 14.3% | falling |
| 23 | Liberia | 29.83 | 2019 | down 17.4% | falling |
| 24 | Cameroon | 28.93 | 2018 | down 23.1% | falling |
| 25 | Guinea-Bissau | 28.14 | 2019 | up 1.9% | falling |
| 26 | Syrian Arab Republic | 27.9 | 2010 | up 14.8% | falling |
| 27 | Myanmar | 26.7 | 2018 | down 23.9% | falling |
| 28 | Philippines | 26.66 | 2021 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 29 | Sierra Leone | 26.26 | 2021 | down 19.6% | falling |
| 30 | Guinea | 26.14 | 2022 | down 15.9% | falling |
| 31 | Zimbabwe | 25.9 | 2024 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 32 | Djibouti | 25.47 | 2023 | down 9.1% | falling |
| 33 | Mauritania | 25.1 | 2022 | up 8.4% | falling |
| 33 | Mali | 25.1 | 2024 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 35 | Nepal | 24.81 | 2022 | down 38.1% | falling |
| 36 | Uganda | 24.4 | 2022 | down 27.7% | falling |
| 37 | Togo | 23.78 | 2017 | down 20.5% | falling |
| 38 | Bangladesh | 23.56 | 2022 | down 36.3% | falling |
| 39 | Côte d'Ivoire | 23.42 | 2021 | down 14.0% | flat |
| 40 | Indonesia | 22.01 | 2023 | down 39.5% | falling |
| 41 | Haiti | 21.98 | 2023 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 42 | Cambodia | 21.91 | 2021 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 43 | South Africa | 21.33 | 2017 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 44 | Malaysia | 21.2 | 2022 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 45 | Burkina Faso | 21.1 | 2021 | down 39.0% | falling |
| 46 | Eswatini | 20.03 | 2021 | down 35.3% | falling |
| 47 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 19.1 | 2017 | down 41.0% | falling |
| 48 | Honduras | 18.71 | 2019 | down 37.3% | falling |
| 49 | Viet Nam | 18.2 | 2023 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 50 | Comoros | 18.17 | 2022 | down 41.6% | falling |
| 51 | Bhutan | 17.9 | 2023 | down 46.6% | falling |
| 52 | Kenya | 17.6 | 2022 | down 33.1% | falling |
| 53 | Gambia | 17.48 | 2020 | down 30.5% | falling |
| 54 | Senegal | 17.47 | 2023 | up 5.9% | falling |
| 55 | Ecuador | 17.45 | 2024 | down 27.1% | falling |
| 56 | Ghana | 17.39 | 2022 | down 23.6% | falling |
| 57 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 16.09 | 2016 | down 40.7% | falling |
| 58 | Maldives | 15.28 | 2017 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 59 | Morocco | 14.2 | 2019 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 60 | Kyrgyzstan | 14.15 | 2023 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 61 | Tajikistan | 13.7 | 2023 | down 49.0% | falling |
| 62 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 13.4 | 2009 | down 26.8% | flat |
| 63 | Romania | 12.83 | 2002 | up 14.6% | rising |
| 64 | Egypt | 12.83 | 2021 | down 58.2% | falling |
| 65 | Colombia | 12.74 | 2016 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 66 | Iraq | 12.64 | 2018 | down 54.0% | falling |
| 67 | Mexico | 12.5 | 2022 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 68 | Thailand | 12.45 | 2022 | down 24.1% | falling |
| 69 | Peru | 11.55 | 2023 | down 34.4% | falling |
| 70 | Oman | 11.4 | 2017 | up 16.3% | falling |
| 71 | Saudi Arabia | 10.85 | 2020 | down 20.8% | falling |
| 72 | Sri Lanka | 10.5 | 2024 | down 28.2% | falling |
| 73 | El Salvador | 10 | 2021 | down 51.9% | falling |
| 74 | Algeria | 9.81 | 2019 | down 36.5% | falling |
| 75 | Guyana | 9.53 | 2019 | down 50.6% | falling |
| 76 | Armenia | 9.4 | 2016 | down 47.4% | falling |
| 77 | Mongolia | 8.8 | 2023 | down 18.6% | falling |
| 78 | Palestine, State of | 8.7 | 2020 | down 20.4% | falling |
| 79 | Tunisia | 8.41 | 2018 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 80 | Jordan | 8.23 | 2023 | up 5.8% | falling |
| 81 | Kazakhstan | 8.04 | 2015 | down 54.0% | falling |
| 82 | Uruguay | 6.93 | 2018 | down 41.4% | falling |
| 83 | Dominican Republic | 6.72 | 2019 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 84 | Azerbaijan | 6.55 | 2023 | down 63.1% | falling |
| 85 | Uzbekistan | 6.51 | 2021 | down 66.8% | volatile |
| 86 | Türkiye | 5.97 | 2018 | down 52.5% | falling |
| 87 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 4.8 | 2017 | down 32.4% | volatile |
| 87 | China | 4.8 | 2017 | down 51.0% | volatile |
| 89 | Jamaica | 4.64 | 2018 | down 33.0% | falling |
| 90 | United States | 3.8 | 2022 | up 72.7% | rising |
| 91 | Kuwait | 3.21 | 2023 | down 42.8% | rising |
| 92 | Finland | 2.8 | 2023 | up 55.6% | rising |
| 93 | United Kingdom | 1.96 | 2019 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 94 | Chile | 1.8 | 2014 | down 25.0% | volatile |
| 95 | Belarus | 1.2 | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 96 | Korea | 0.8518 | 2020 | down 36.8% | falling |