Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 32.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
32.6%
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
11th
of 45 groups
All-time high
50.9%
in 2000
All-time low
32.6%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 2000–2024

02040602000201220242000: 50.92001: 50.32002: 49.82003: 49.32004: 48.72005: 48.22006: 47.52007: 46.72008: 45.92009: 44.92010: 43.92011: 42.82012: 41.82013: 40.72014: 39.72015: 38.72016: 37.72017: 36.62018: 35.62019: 34.52020: 33.72021: 33.12022: 32.82023: 32.62024: 32.6

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

Analysis

In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) stood at 32.6%.

That represents a change of down 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 50.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 32.6%, in 2023.

That places South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 50.9%
2001 50.3% -1.1%
2002 49.8% -1.0%
2003 49.3% -1.0%
2004 48.7% -1.2%
2005 48.2% -1.0%
2006 47.5% -1.4%
2007 46.7% -1.7%
2008 45.9% -1.7%
2009 44.9% -2.1%
2010 43.9% -2.4%
2011 42.8% -2.4%
2012 41.8% -2.4%
2013 40.7% -2.5%
2014 39.7% -2.5%
2015 38.7% -2.4%
2016 37.7% -2.7%
2017 36.6% -2.8%
2018 35.6% -2.9%
2019 34.5% -3.0%
2020 33.7% -2.2%
2021 33.1% -1.9%
2022 32.8% -0.8%
2023 32.6% -0.7%
2024 32.6% +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 48.3% 44.9% 50.9% 10
2010s 39.2% 34.5% 43.9% 10
2020s 32.9% 32.6% 33.7% 5

Countries ranked near South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

  1. 8 Democratic Republic of Congo 47.0% compare
  2. 8 East Timor 47.0% compare
  3. 10 Afghanistan 42.7% compare
  4. 11 Central African Republic 41.5% compare
  5. 12 Madagascar 41.0% compare
  6. 13 Mozambique 40.0% compare
  7. 14 Lesotho 38.3% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)

All data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD) →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) was 32.6% 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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
The highest recorded value was 50.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
The lowest recorded value was 32.6% in 2023.
How does South Asia (IDA & IBRD) rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
South Asia (IDA & IBRD) ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 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 South Asia (IDA & IBRD). 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/south-asia-ida-and-ibrd/

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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.