Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda
Uganda: Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male was 27.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda, 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
In 2022, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda stood at 27.2%. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 11.1% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda peaked at 51.7% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 27.2%, in 2022.
Uganda ranks 28th of 83 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 51.7% | — |
| 1995 | 48.9% | -5.4% |
| 2000 | 47.5% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 40.9% | -13.9% |
| 2009 | 42.4% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 37.2% | -12.3% |
| 2012 | 35.5% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 36.4% | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | -10.2% |
| 2016 | 30.9% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 30.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 27.2% | -11.1% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 27.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 38.1%, 71% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 27.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.6%, 86% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 51.7% | 51.7% | 51.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 48.9% | 48.9% | 48.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 43.6% | 40.9% | 47.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 33.9% | 30.6% | 37.2% | 6 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 27.2% | 30.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More health data for Uganda
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 853.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,666 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 111 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0787 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male in Uganda was 27.2% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 51.7% in 1988.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age, male recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.2% in 2022.
- How does Uganda rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age, male?
- Uganda ranks 28th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age, male rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.