Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Madagascar

Madagascar: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 43.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
43.6%
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
7th
of 83 countries
All-time high
63.7%
in 1992
All-time low
43.6%
in 2021
Years of data
8
1992–2021

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Madagascar, 1992–2021

02040601992200620211992: 63.7 % of children under 51997: 59.1 % of children under 52004: 54.3 % of children under 52009: 51.5 % of children under 52011: 50.7 % of children under 52012: 51.5 % of children under 52018: 44.6 % of children under 52021: 43.6 % 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

Madagascar recorded 43.6% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Madagascar peaked at 63.7% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 43.6%, in 2021.

That places Madagascar 7th out of 83 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (% of children under 5) in Madagascar, 1992 to 2021.
Year % of children under 5 Change
1992 63.7%
1997 59.1% -7.2%
2004 54.3% -8.1%
2009 51.5% -5.2%
2011 50.7% -1.6%
2012 51.5% +1.6%
2018 44.6% -13.4%
2021 43.6% -2.2%

Madagascar compared with similar countries

  • Madagascar's 43.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
  • Madagascar's 43.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.6%, 1.4× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 61.4% 59.1% 63.7% 2
2000s 52.9% 51.5% 54.3% 2
2010s 48.9% 44.6% 51.5% 3
2020s 43.6% 43.6% 43.6% 1

Countries ranked near Madagascar

  1. 4 Timor-Leste 48.6% compare
  2. 5 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 47.2% compare
  3. 6 Guatemala 47.1% compare
  4. 8 Mozambique 40.9% compare
  5. 9 Central African Republic 40.8% compare
  6. 10 Ethiopia 39.8% compare

See the full ranking of 83 places →

More health data for Madagascar

All data for Madagascar →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Madagascar?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Madagascar was 43.6% 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 Madagascar?
The highest recorded value was 63.7% in 1992.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Madagascar?
The lowest recorded value was 43.6% in 2021.
How does Madagascar rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
Madagascar ranks 7th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Madagascar?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Madagascar 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 Madagascar. 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/madagascar/

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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.