Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon
Cameroon: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 27.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon stood at 27.2%.
That represents a change of down 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon peaked at 37.7% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 27.1%, in 2022.
That places Cameroon 33rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37.4% | — |
| 2001 | 37.6% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 37.7% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 37.6% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 37.3% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 37.0% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 36.6% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 36.0% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 35.3% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 34.5% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 33.7% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 32.9% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 32.3% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 31.7% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 31.2% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 30.7% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 30.1% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 29.4% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 28.7% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 27.5% | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 27.2% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 27.1% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 27.2% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 27.2% | +0.0% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 27.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 27.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.7% | 34.5% | 37.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.9% | 28.1% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.2% | 27.1% | 27.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 31 Guinea-Bissau 28.3% compare
- 32 Philippines 27.7% compare
- 34 Liberia 26.9% compare
- 35 Guinea 26.6% compare
- 36 Nepal 26.0% compare
More health data for Cameroon
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7821 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 786.1 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 12,841 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 17 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.22 % 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 0.0746 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.21 % 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 in Cameroon?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Cameroon was 27.2% 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 Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 37.7% in 2002.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.1% in 2022.
- How does Cameroon rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Cameroon ranks 33rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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.