Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) in Arab World
Arab World: Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) was 20.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Arab World, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age in Arab World is 20.5%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Arab World peaked at 28.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2021.
Arab World ranks 24th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.7% | — |
| 2001 | 28.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 28.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 28.4% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 28.2% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 28.0% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 27.7% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 27.4% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 26.9% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 26.4% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 25.8% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 23.5% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 22.7% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 22.1% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 21.6% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 20.7% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 20.1% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 20.0% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 20.1% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 20.5% | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.9% | 26.4% | 28.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.7% | 20.3% | 25.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.2% | 20.0% | 20.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More health data for Arab World
- Population ages 20-24, female, annual growth rate 1.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0406 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.0452 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per capita 0.0435 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.0472 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Arab World?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Arab World was 20.5% 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 Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2021.
- How does Arab World rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Arab World ranks 24th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World 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.
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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.