Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female … female modeled in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female … female modeled was 29.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa is 29.8%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 40.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 29.4%, in 2021.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 45 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female … female modeled in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40.7% | — |
| 2001 | 40.4% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 40.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 39.7% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 39.3% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 38.8% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 38.2% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 37.5% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 36.7% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 35.9% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 35.0% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 34.2% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 33.5% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 32.9% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 32.4% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 31.4% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 30.9% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 30.4% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 29.9% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 29.6% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 29.4% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 29.6% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 29.8% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.7% | 35.9% | 40.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.3% | 29.9% | 35.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 29.4% | 29.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 8 Guatemala 41.9% compare
- 9 Afghanistan 41.4% compare
- 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 41.1% compare
- 11 Central African Republic 36.3% compare
- 12 Madagascar 35.7% compare
- 13 Sudan 34.1% compare
- 14 Mozambique 34.0% compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0235 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate 1.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.024 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Sub-Saharan Africa was 29.8% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 40.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.4% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.
Download this data
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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.