Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern
Africa Eastern and Southern: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 34.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Africa Eastern and Southern recorded 34.2% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern peaked at 46.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 2021.
Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 2nd of 45 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 46.0% | — |
| 2001 | 45.6% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 45.2% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 44.7% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 44.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 43.6% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 42.9% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 42.1% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 41.2% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 40.2% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 39.3% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 38.4% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 37.7% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 37.0% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 36.5% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 36.0% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 35.5% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 35.0% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 34.5% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 34.1% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 33.8% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 33.7% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 33.9% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 34.0% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 34.2% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 43.6% | 40.2% | 46.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.4% | 34.1% | 39.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.9% | 33.7% | 34.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Eastern and Southern
More health data for Africa Eastern and Southern
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 4.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.0196 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0232 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0284 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Africa Eastern and Southern was 34.2% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The highest recorded value was 46.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 2021.
- How does Africa Eastern and Southern rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Africa Eastern and Southern ranks 2nd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Africa Eastern and Southern?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Eastern and Southern data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Prevalence of stunting is the percentage of children 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.