Prevalence of stunting, height for age in China
China: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 4.5% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in China, 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 China is 4.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in China peaked at 20.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2024.
That places China 134th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20.0% | — |
| 2001 | 18.6% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 17.3% | -7.0% |
| 2003 | 15.9% | -8.1% |
| 2004 | 14.6% | -8.2% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | -8.2% |
| 2006 | 12.3% | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 9.6% | -7.7% |
| 2010 | 8.8% | -8.3% |
| 2011 | 8.0% | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 7.0% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 6.6% | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 6.3% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 6.1% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -5.5% |
| 2020 | 5.0% | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 4.5% | -2.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 4.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 56% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- China's 4.5% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.0%, 28% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.3% | 9.6% | 20.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.7% | 5.2% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
- 131 Georgia 4.7% compare
- 132 Bahrain 4.6% compare
- 132 Serbia 4.6% compare
- 134 Kuwait 4.5% compare
- 136 Kazakhstan 4.4% compare
- 137 Republic of Moldova 4.2% compare
- 137 United States of America 4.2% compare
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,029 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,642 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % 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 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % 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 China?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in China was 4.5% 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2024.
- How does China rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- China ranks 134th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.