Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 35.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ethiopia, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ethiopia stood at 35.5%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ethiopia peaked at 56.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.5%, in 2024.
Ethiopia ranks 14th of 162 countries 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 Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 56.9% | — |
| 2001 | 55.9% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 54.9% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 52.8% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 51.6% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 50.4% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 49.0% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 47.5% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 46.0% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 44.6% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 43.2% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 42.1% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 40.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 39.6% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 38.8% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 38.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 37.2% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 36.5% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 35.9% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 35.5% | -0.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 35.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 31.5%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 35.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.9% | 46.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 36.5% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 35.5% | 35.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 11 Central African Republic 38.9% compare
- 12 Madagascar 38.4% compare
- 13 Mozambique 37.0% compare
- 15 Sudan 35.4% compare
- 16 Lesotho 35.0% compare
- 17 Nigeria 33.8% compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % 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 in Ethiopia?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ethiopia was 35.5% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 56.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.5% in 2024.
- How does Ethiopia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Ethiopia ranks 14th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.