Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in World

World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 24.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
24.4%
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
22nd
of 45 groups
All-time high
34.2%
in 2000
All-time low
23.5%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01020302000201220242000: 34.22001: 33.82002: 33.52003: 33.12004: 32.72005: 32.32006: 31.82007: 31.22008: 30.52009: 29.72010: 28.92011: 28.22012: 27.52013: 26.82014: 26.22015: 25.72016: 25.12017: 24.62018: 24.12019: 23.72020: 23.52021: 23.52022: 23.82023: 24.12024: 24.4

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

Analysis

World recorded 24.4% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2024.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in World peaked at 34.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 23.5%, in 2020.

That places World 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in World, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 34.2%
2001 33.8% -1.0%
2002 33.5% -0.9%
2003 33.1% -1.1%
2004 32.7% -1.3%
2005 32.3% -1.3%
2006 31.8% -1.5%
2007 31.2% -1.9%
2008 30.5% -2.3%
2009 29.7% -2.5%
2010 28.9% -2.7%
2011 28.2% -2.7%
2012 27.5% -2.5%
2013 26.8% -2.3%
2014 26.2% -2.2%
2015 25.7% -2.1%
2016 25.1% -2.1%
2017 24.6% -2.3%
2018 24.1% -2.0%
2019 23.7% -1.6%
2020 23.5% -0.8%
2021 23.5% +0.1%
2022 23.8% +1.2%
2023 24.1% +1.2%
2024 24.4% +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 32.3% 29.7% 34.2% 10
2010s 26.1% 23.7% 28.9% 10
2020s 23.9% 23.5% 24.4% 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 19 Benin 35.9% compare
  2. 20 Zambia 35.3% compare
  3. 21 Pakistan 34.5% compare
  4. 22 India 34.0% compare
  5. 23 Chad 33.7% compare
  6. 24 Rwanda 32.6% compare
  7. 24 Tanzania 32.6% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in World?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in World was 24.4% 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 World?
The highest recorded value was 34.2% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 23.5% in 2020.
How does World rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
World ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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 World. 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/world/

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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.