Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan
Pakistan: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 38.2% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan, 1991–2018
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
In 2018, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan stood at 38.2%. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
The figure is down 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan peaked at 56.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 38.2%, in 2018.
Pakistan ranks 14th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 56.2% | — |
| 1992 | 43.2% | -23.1% |
| 2001 | 42.1% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 44.2% | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 48.2% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 38.2% | -20.7% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 38.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.6%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 38.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 13.0%, 2.9× the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 43.2% | 56.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 42.1% | 42.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 43.5% | 38.2% | 48.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More health data for Pakistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.14 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8219 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 944.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 55,286 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 335 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5028 % 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 0.0616 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.4109 % 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 Pakistan?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Pakistan was 38.2% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 56.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.2% in 2018.
- How does Pakistan rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
- Pakistan ranks 14th out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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 — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.