Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World
World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 21.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World stood at 21.9%.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World peaked at 31.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 21.2%, in 2021.
World ranks 22nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31.9% | — |
| 2001 | 31.6% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 31.2% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 30.9% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 30.5% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 30.1% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 29.6% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 29.0% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 28.3% | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 26.8% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 26.0% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 25.3% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 24.6% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 23.5% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 22.9% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 21.8% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 21.4% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 21.2% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 21.2% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 21.4% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 21.6% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 21.9% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.0% | 27.5% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.9% | 21.4% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 21.2% | 21.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in World was 21.9% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 31.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.2% in 2021.
- How does World rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
- World ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.