Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries

Least developed countries: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 31.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
31.7%
Change on year
up 0.4%
Rank
2nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
46.9%
in 2000
All-time low
31.4%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries, 2000–2024

010203040502000201220242000: 46.92001: 46.22002: 45.62003: 44.82004: 442005: 43.32006: 42.42007: 41.42008: 40.42009: 39.32010: 38.32011: 37.32012: 36.42013: 35.62014: 352015: 34.42016: 33.82017: 33.22018: 32.62019: 322020: 31.62021: 31.42022: 31.52023: 31.62024: 31.7

Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Analysis

Least developed countries recorded 31.7% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries peaked at 46.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2021.

Least developed countries ranks 2nd of 45 groups 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 Least developed countries, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in Least developed countries, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 46.9%
2001 46.2% -1.4%
2002 45.6% -1.4%
2003 44.8% -1.6%
2004 44.0% -1.8%
2005 43.3% -1.8%
2006 42.4% -1.9%
2007 41.4% -2.3%
2008 40.4% -2.5%
2009 39.3% -2.7%
2010 38.3% -2.6%
2011 37.3% -2.6%
2012 36.4% -2.3%
2013 35.6% -2.1%
2014 35.0% -1.8%
2015 34.4% -1.7%
2016 33.8% -1.7%
2017 33.2% -1.9%
2018 32.6% -1.8%
2019 32.0% -1.7%
2020 31.6% -1.2%
2021 31.4% -0.6%
2022 31.5% +0.4%
2023 31.6% +0.3%
2024 31.7% +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 43.4% 39.3% 46.9% 10
2010s 34.9% 32.0% 38.3% 10
2020s 31.6% 31.4% 31.7% 5

Countries ranked near Least developed countries

  1. 1 Burundi 52.0% compare
  2. 2 Yemen 46.3% compare
  3. 3 Papua New Guinea 46.2% compare
  4. 4 Niger 45.7% compare
  5. 5 Angola 44.8% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for Least developed countries

All data for Least developed countries →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries was 31.7% 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 Least developed countries?
The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Least developed countries?
The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2021.
How does Least developed countries rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
Least developed countries ranks 2nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Least developed countries?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Least developed countries 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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Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Least developed countries. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-female-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/least-developed-countries-un-classification/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (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, 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.