Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia

Colombia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 11.0% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
11.0%
World rank
61st
of 83 countries
All-time high
22.4%
in 1986
All-time low
11.0%
in 2016
Years of data
6
1986–2016

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia, 1986–2016

051015201986200120161986: 22.4 % of children under 51995: 17.2 % of children under 52000: 17.2 % of children under 52005: 14.4 % of children under 52010: 11.4 % of children under 52016: 11 % of children under 5

Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia is 11.0%, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of down 23.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia peaked at 22.4% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 2016.

That places Colombia 61st out of 83 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5) in Colombia, 1986 to 2016.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1986 22.4%
1995 17.2% -23.2%
2000 17.2% +0.0%
2005 14.4% -16.3%
2010 11.4% -20.8%
2016 11.0% -3.5%

Colombia compared with similar countries

  • Colombia's 11.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Colombia's 11.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.2%, 90% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 22.4% 22.4% 22.4% 1
1990s 17.2% 17.2% 17.2% 1
2000s 15.8% 14.4% 17.2% 2
2010s 11.2% 11.0% 11.4% 2

Countries ranked near Colombia

  1. 58 Egypt 12.7% compare
  2. 59 Thailand 12.2% compare
  3. 60 Tajikistan 12.0% compare
  4. 62 Peru 10.5% compare
  5. 63 Oman 10.0% compare
  6. 64 El Salvador 9.1% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Colombia

All data for Colombia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia was 11.0% in 2016, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
What is the highest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Colombia?
The highest recorded value was 22.4% in 1986.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Colombia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 2016.
How does Colombia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
Colombia ranks 61st out of 83 countries with data for 2016.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Colombia?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Colombia data come from?
The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/colombia/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/colombia/">Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Colombia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 730 data points, 1986–2024
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.