Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Japan

Japan: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 5.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
5.8%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
127th
of 162 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 2008
All-time low
5.7%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

024682000201220242000: 6.42001: 6.72002: 6.92003: 7.12004: 7.32005: 7.42006: 7.52007: 7.62008: 7.72009: 7.62010: 7.62011: 7.52012: 7.32013: 7.22014: 7.12015: 6.92016: 6.72017: 6.42018: 6.22019: 62020: 5.82021: 5.72022: 5.72023: 5.72024: 5.8

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 5.8% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and down 18.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Japan peaked at 7.7% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2021.

Japan ranks 127th of 162 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in Japan, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 6.4%
2001 6.7% +4.7%
2002 6.9% +3.0%
2003 7.1% +2.9%
2004 7.3% +2.8%
2005 7.4% +1.4%
2006 7.5% +1.4%
2007 7.6% +1.3%
2008 7.7% +1.3%
2009 7.6% -1.3%
2010 7.6% +0.0%
2011 7.5% -1.3%
2012 7.3% -2.7%
2013 7.2% -1.4%
2014 7.1% -1.4%
2015 6.9% -2.8%
2016 6.7% -2.9%
2017 6.4% -4.5%
2018 6.2% -3.1%
2019 6.0% -3.2%
2020 5.8% -3.3%
2021 5.7% -1.7%
2022 5.7% +0.0%
2023 5.7% +0.0%
2024 5.8% +1.8%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 5.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.9%, 1.5× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 5.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 17.1%, 34% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 7.2% 6.4% 7.7% 10
2010s 6.9% 6.0% 7.6% 10
2020s 5.7% 5.7% 5.8% 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 124 Qatar 6.1% compare
  2. 125 Bulgaria 5.9% compare
  3. 125 Cape Verde 5.9% compare
  4. 127 Turkey 5.8% compare
  5. 129 Tuvalu 5.6% compare
  6. 130 Bahrain 5.2% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Japan?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Japan was 5.8% 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2008.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2021.
How does Japan rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
Japan ranks 127th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan 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 Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-male-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/japan/

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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.