Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 41.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan stood at 41.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan peaked at 55.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 40.1%, in 2020.
Afghanistan ranks 9th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 55.1% | — |
| 2001 | 54.7% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 53.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 52.9% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 51.9% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 50.9% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 49.8% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 48.6% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 47.3% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 46.0% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 44.9% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 43.8% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 43.0% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 42.4% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 42.0% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 41.7% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 41.4% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 41.0% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 40.6% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 40.3% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 40.1% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 40.2% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 40.5% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 41.0% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 41.4% | +1.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 41.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 29.3%, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 41.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.9%, 4.7× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.1% | 46.0% | 55.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.1% | 40.3% | 44.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.6% | 40.1% | 41.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 6 Eritrea 44.7% compare
- 7 East Timor 43.8% compare
- 8 Guatemala 41.9% compare
- 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 41.1% compare
- 11 Central African Republic 36.3% compare
- 12 Madagascar 35.7% compare
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 812.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 14,735 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 19 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Afghanistan was 41.4% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 55.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.1% in 2020.
- How does Afghanistan rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
- Afghanistan ranks 9th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
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.