Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 38.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
38.0%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
15th
of 162 countries
All-time high
59.4%
in 2000
All-time low
38.0%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia, 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 59.42001: 58.32002: 57.32003: 56.42004: 55.32005: 54.12006: 52.92007: 51.52008: 502009: 48.52010: 47.12011: 45.72012: 44.52013: 43.62014: 42.82015: 422016: 41.22017: 40.42018: 39.62019: 38.82020: 38.32021: 382022: 382023: 382024: 38

Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Analysis

In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia stood at 38.0%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia peaked at 59.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 38.0%, in 2021.

Ethiopia ranks 15th of 162 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in Ethiopia, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 59.4%
2001 58.3% -1.9%
2002 57.3% -1.7%
2003 56.4% -1.6%
2004 55.3% -2.0%
2005 54.1% -2.2%
2006 52.9% -2.2%
2007 51.5% -2.6%
2008 50.0% -2.9%
2009 48.5% -3.0%
2010 47.1% -2.9%
2011 45.7% -3.0%
2012 44.5% -2.6%
2013 43.6% -2.0%
2014 42.8% -1.8%
2015 42.0% -1.9%
2016 41.2% -1.9%
2017 40.4% -1.9%
2018 39.6% -2.0%
2019 38.8% -2.0%
2020 38.3% -1.3%
2021 38.0% -0.8%
2022 38.0% +0.0%
2023 38.0% +0.0%
2024 38.0% +0.0%

Ethiopia compared with similar countries

  • Ethiopia's 38.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.7%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Ethiopia's 38.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.3%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 54.4% 48.5% 59.4% 10
2010s 42.6% 38.8% 47.1% 10
2020s 38.1% 38.0% 38.3% 5

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 12 Madagascar 41.0% compare
  2. 13 Mozambique 40.0% compare
  3. 14 Lesotho 38.3% compare
  4. 16 Sudan 36.6% compare
  5. 17 Nigeria 36.2% compare
  6. 18 Malawi 36.1% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia was 38.0% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
What is the highest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 59.4% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 38.0% in 2021.
How does Ethiopia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
Ethiopia ranks 15th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia 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, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Ethiopia. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-male-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/ethiopia/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
207 places, 5,161 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Prevalence of stunting, male, is the percentage of boys 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.