Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador

El Salvador: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 10.9% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
10.9%
World rank
67th
of 83 countries
All-time high
39.5%
in 1988
All-time low
10.9%
in 2021
Years of data
7
1988–2021

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador, 1988–2021

102030401988200420211988: 39.5 % of children under 51993: 32.8 % of children under 51998: 33.3 % of children under 52003: 25.6 % of children under 52008: 21.6 % of children under 52014: 15.3 % of children under 52021: 10.9 % of children under 5

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

The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador is 10.9%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 49.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador peaked at 39.5% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2021.

That places El Salvador 67th out of 83 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (% of children under 5) in El Salvador, 1988 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1988 39.5%
1993 32.8% -17.0%
1998 33.3% +1.5%
2003 25.6% -23.1%
2008 21.6% -15.6%
2014 15.3% -29.2%
2021 10.9% -28.8%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

  • El Salvador's 10.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 94% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • El Salvador's 10.9% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 81% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 39.5% 39.5% 39.5% 1
1990s 33.0% 32.8% 33.3% 2
2000s 23.6% 21.6% 25.6% 2
2010s 15.3% 15.3% 15.3% 1
2020s 10.9% 10.9% 10.9% 1

Countries ranked near El Salvador

  1. 64 Algeria 11.6% compare
  2. 65 Mexico 11.5% compare
  3. 66 Guyana 11.4% compare
  4. 67 Armenia 10.9% compare
  5. 67 Mongolia 10.9% compare
  6. 70 China 8.8% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for El Salvador

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador was 10.9% in 2021, 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, male recorded in El Salvador?
The highest recorded value was 39.5% in 1988.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in El Salvador?
The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2021.
How does El Salvador rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
El Salvador ranks 67th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in El Salvador?
Over the last ten years it is down 49.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this El Salvador 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, male (% of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on 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'. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-male-percent-of-children-under-5/el-salvador/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-male-percent-of-children-under-5/el-salvador/">Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in El Salvador</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (% of children under 5)
Unit
% of children under 5
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'
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
83 places, 730 data points, 1986–2024
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.