Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia

Gambia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 18.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
18.5%
Change on year
down 14.4%
World rank
49th
of 83 countries
All-time high
28.6%
in 2006
All-time low
18.5%
in 2020
Years of data
7
2000–2020

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia, 2000–2020

01020302000201020202000: 26 % of children under 52006: 28.6 % of children under 52010: 25.5 % of children under 52012: 23.6 % of children under 52013: 25.9 % of children under 52018: 21.6 % of children under 52020: 18.5 % 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

Gambia recorded 18.5% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of down 14.4% on the previous year and down 27.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia peaked at 28.6% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 2020.

Gambia ranks 49th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (% of children under 5) in Gambia, 2000 to 2020.
Year % of children under 5 Change
2000 26.0%
2006 28.6% +10.0%
2010 25.5% -10.8%
2012 23.6% -7.5%
2013 25.9% +9.7%
2018 21.6% -16.6%
2020 18.5% -14.4%

Gambia compared with similar countries

  • Gambia's 18.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 38.1%, 48% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
  • Gambia's 18.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.6%, 59% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.3% 26.0% 28.6% 2
2010s 24.1% 21.6% 25.9% 4
2020s 18.5% 18.5% 18.5% 1

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 46 Ghana 19.4% compare
  2. 47 Ecuador 19.2% compare
  3. 47 Honduras 19.2% compare
  4. 49 Senegal 18.5% compare
  5. 51 Nicaragua 18.2% compare
  6. 52 Sri Lanka 17.9% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia was 18.5% in 2020, 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 Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 28.6% in 2006.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 2020.
How does Gambia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
Gambia ranks 49th out of 83 countries with data for 2020.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Gambia 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.

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Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Gambia. 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/gambia-the/

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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.