Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Jamaica

Jamaica: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 7.0% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
7.0%
Change on year
down 26.3%
World rank
76th
of 83 countries
All-time high
17.0%
in 1991
All-time low
5.6%
in 2007
Years of data
22
1989–2018

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Jamaica, 1989–2018

57.51012.51517.51989200320181989: 16.1 % of children under 51991: 17 % of children under 51992: 16 % of children under 51993: 14.1 % of children under 51994: 13.9 % of children under 51995: 11.7 % of children under 51996: 13.8 % of children under 51997: 10.9 % of children under 51998: 13.3 % of children under 51999: 7.3 % of children under 52000: 10.2 % of children under 52001: 10 % of children under 52002: 9.3 % of children under 52004: 6.1 % of children under 52006: 6.3 % of children under 52007: 5.6 % of children under 52008: 9.4 % of children under 52010: 6.9 % of children under 52012: 7.1 % of children under 52014: 7 % of children under 52016: 9.5 % of children under 52018: 7 % 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

Jamaica recorded 7.0% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2018.

That represents a change of down 26.3% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Jamaica peaked at 17.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.6%, in 2007.

That places Jamaica 76th out of 83 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (% of children under 5) in Jamaica, 1989 to 2018.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1989 16.1%
1991 17.0% +5.6%
1992 16.0% -5.9%
1993 14.1% -11.9%
1994 13.9% -1.4%
1995 11.7% -15.8%
1996 13.8% +17.9%
1997 10.9% -21.0%
1998 13.3% +22.0%
1999 7.3% -45.1%
2000 10.2% +39.7%
2001 10.0% -2.0%
2002 9.3% -7.0%
2004 6.1% -34.4%
2006 6.3% +3.3%
2007 5.6% -11.1%
2008 9.4% +67.9%
2010 6.9% -26.6%
2012 7.1% +2.9%
2014 7.0% -1.4%
2016 9.5% +35.7%
2018 7.0% -26.3%

Jamaica compared with similar countries

  • Jamaica's 7.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 60% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
  • Jamaica's 7.0% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 52% of the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 16.1% 16.1% 16.1% 1
1990s 13.1% 7.3% 17.0% 9
2000s 8.1% 5.6% 10.2% 7
2010s 7.5% 6.9% 9.5% 5

Countries ranked near Jamaica

  1. 73 Jordan 7.6% compare
  2. 74 Dominican Republic 7.5% compare
  3. 75 Uruguay 7.3% compare
  4. 77 Azerbaijan 6.9% compare
  5. 78 Turkey 6.1% compare
  6. 79 Uzbekistan 6.0% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Jamaica

All data for Jamaica →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Jamaica?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Jamaica was 7.0% in 2018, 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 Jamaica?
The highest recorded value was 17.0% in 1991.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Jamaica?
The lowest recorded value was 5.6% in 2007.
How does Jamaica rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
Jamaica ranks 76th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Jamaica?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Jamaica 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 Jamaica. 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 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-male-percent-of-children-under-5/jamaica/

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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.