Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in India
India: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 31.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in India, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
India recorded 31.8% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in India peaked at 49.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.7%, in 2023.
India ranks 17th 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 India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.4% | — |
| 2001 | 48.9% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 48.5% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 48.1% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 47.6% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 47.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 46.6% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 45.9% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.1% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 44.2% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 41.9% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 40.8% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 39.7% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 37.6% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 36.6% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 35.6% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 34.5% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 33.5% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 32.7% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 31.9% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 31.7% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | +0.3% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 31.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 19.1%, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 31.8% is above the median for South Asia, which is 20.8%, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.1% | 44.2% | 49.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.2% | 33.5% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 31.7% | 32.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in India?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in India was 31.8% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 49.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.7% in 2023.
- How does India rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
- India ranks 17th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.