Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Maldives

Maldives: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 14.2% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
14.2%
World rank
54th
of 83 countries
All-time high
41.0%
in 1997
All-time low
14.2%
in 2017
Years of data
5
1994–2017

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Maldives, 1994–2017

102030401994200520171994: 35.5 % of children under 51997: 41 % of children under 52001: 31 % of children under 52009: 17.4 % of children under 52017: 14.2 % 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

Maldives recorded 14.2% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is down 18.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Maldives peaked at 41.0% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2017.

That places Maldives 54th out of 83 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5) in Maldives, 1994 to 2017.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1994 35.5%
1997 41.0% +15.5%
2001 31.0% -24.4%
2009 17.4% -43.9%
2017 14.2% -18.4%

Maldives compared with similar countries

  • Maldives's 14.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Maldives's 14.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 23.3%, 61% of the median. (5 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 38.2% 35.5% 41.0% 2
2000s 24.2% 17.4% 31.0% 2
2010s 14.2% 14.2% 14.2% 1

Countries ranked near Maldives

  1. 51 Ecuador 15.6% compare
  2. 51 Kenya 15.6% compare
  3. 53 Ghana 15.3% compare
  4. 55 Morocco 13.7% compare
  5. 56 Mexico 13.5% compare
  6. 57 Kyrgyzstan 13.3% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Maldives

All data for Maldives →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Maldives?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Maldives was 14.2% in 2017, 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 Maldives?
The highest recorded value was 41.0% in 1997.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Maldives?
The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2017.
How does Maldives rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
Maldives ranks 54th out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Maldives?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Maldives 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 Maldives. 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/maldives/

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