Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico
Mexico: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 11.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico, 1988–2022
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
Mexico recorded 11.5% for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in 2022.
That represents a change of down 12.9% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico peaked at 26.9% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2016.
That places Mexico 65th out of 83 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 26.9% | — |
| 1998 | 22.9% | -14.9% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -23.8% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | -17.7% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | +32.7% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 13.2% | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 11.5% | -12.9% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 11.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 99% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 11.5% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 86% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.9% | 26.9% | 26.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 22.9% | 22.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 13.3% | 10.7% | 15.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 11.5% | 14.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More health data for Mexico
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6599 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,312 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,760 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9607 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0377 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.9678 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Mexico was 11.5% in 2022, 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 1988.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2016.
- How does Mexico rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
- Mexico ranks 65th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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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About this data
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.