Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Senegal

Senegal: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 16.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
16.4%
World rank
47th
of 83 countries
All-time high
27.3%
in 1993
All-time low
13.1%
in 2014
Years of data
15
1986–2023

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Senegal, 1986–2023

01020301986200420231986: 25.1 % of children under 51993: 27.3 % of children under 51996: 26.1 % of children under 52000: 22.8 % of children under 52005: 18.9 % of children under 52011: 25.1 % of children under 52012: 13.6 % of children under 52013: 15 % of children under 52014: 13.1 % of children under 52015: 15.5 % of children under 52016: 14.7 % of children under 52017: 15 % of children under 52018: 15.9 % of children under 52019: 16.8 % of children under 52023: 16.4 % 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

Senegal recorded 16.4% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in 2023.

The figure is up 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Senegal peaked at 27.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 2014.

Senegal ranks 47th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female (% of children under 5) in Senegal, 1986 to 2023.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1986 25.1%
1993 27.3% +8.8%
1996 26.1% -4.4%
2000 22.8% -12.6%
2005 18.9% -17.1%
2011 25.1% +32.8%
2012 13.6% -45.8%
2013 15.0% +10.3%
2014 13.1% -12.7%
2015 15.5% +18.3%
2016 14.7% -5.2%
2017 15.0% +2.0%
2018 15.9% +6.0%
2019 16.8% +5.7%
2023 16.4% -2.4%

Senegal compared with similar countries

  • Senegal's 16.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.9%, 75% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Senegal's 16.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.6%, 62% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 25.1% 25.1% 25.1% 1
1990s 26.7% 26.1% 27.3% 2
2000s 20.9% 18.9% 22.8% 2
2010s 16.1% 13.1% 25.1% 9
2020s 16.4% 16.4% 16.4% 1

Countries ranked near Senegal

  1. 44 Burkina Faso 17.5% compare
  2. 45 Eswatini 17.3% compare
  3. 46 Sri Lanka 16.6% compare
  4. 47 Gambia 16.4% compare
  5. 47 Nicaragua 16.4% compare
  6. 50 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 16.1% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Senegal

All data for Senegal →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Senegal?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Senegal was 16.4% in 2023, 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 Senegal?
The highest recorded value was 27.3% in 1993.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Senegal?
The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 2014.
How does Senegal rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
Senegal ranks 47th out of 83 countries with data for 2023.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Senegal?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Senegal 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 Senegal. 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 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-female-percent-of-children-under-5/senegal/

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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.