Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Guatemala
Guatemala: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 44.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Guatemala, 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 Guatemala is 44.6%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Guatemala peaked at 53.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 43.9%, in 2021.
That places Guatemala 8th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Guatemala, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 53.2% | — |
| 2001 | 53.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 53.2% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 53.0% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 52.6% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 52.3% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 52.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 51.5% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 50.7% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 49.9% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 49.1% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 48.3% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 47.7% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 47.2% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 46.8% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 46.7% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 46.4% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.9% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 45.4% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 44.8% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 44.1% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 43.9% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 44.1% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 44.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 44.6% | +1.1% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 44.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 5.6× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 44.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 9.4%, 4.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52.2% | 49.9% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.8% | 44.8% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.2% | 43.9% | 44.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 5 Papua New Guinea 47.6% compare
- 6 Yemen 47.4% compare
- 7 Timor-Leste 45.4% compare
- 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 44.1% compare
- 10 Afghanistan 42.0% compare
- 11 Central African Republic 38.9% compare
More health data for Guatemala
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.92 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7968 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,202 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,022 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.4059 % 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 0.0487 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.3488 % 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 Guatemala?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Guatemala was 44.6% 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 Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 53.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.9% in 2021.
- How does Guatemala rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Guatemala ranks 8th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.