Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia
Zambia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female was 31.0% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia, 1992–2018
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
Zambia recorded 31.0% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in 2018. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
That represents a change of down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia peaked at 58.8% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 31.0%, in 2018.
Zambia ranks 16th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 43.1% | — |
| 1996 | 47.1% | +9.3% |
| 1999 | 58.8% | +24.8% |
| 2002 | 50.8% | -13.6% |
| 2007 | 42.9% | -15.6% |
| 2013 | 37.7% | -12.1% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | -17.8% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 31.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.9%, 1.4× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 31.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.6%, 1.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 43.1% | 58.8% | 3 |
| 2000s | 46.8% | 42.9% | 50.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 34.4% | 31.0% | 37.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, female in Zambia was 31.0% in 2018, 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.8% in 1999.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, female recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.0% in 2018.
- How does Zambia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, female?
- Zambia ranks 16th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, female rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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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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.