Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Iraq
Iraq: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 9.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Iraq, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Iraq stood at 9.4%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 45.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Iraq peaked at 28.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 2024.
That places Iraq 95th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.0% | — |
| 2001 | 27.8% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.6% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 27.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 26.9% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 23.9% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 15.2% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 10.5% | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 9.7% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 9.4% | -3.1% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 9.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 1.2× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 9.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.4%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.6% | 23.9% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 12.1% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 9.4% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 93 Sao Tome and Principe 10.0% compare
- 94 Brunei Darussalam 9.9% compare
- 95 El Salvador 9.4% compare
- 97 Libya 9.2% compare
- 98 Algeria 8.9% compare
- 98 Brazil 8.9% compare
- 98 Tunisia 8.9% compare
More health data for Iraq
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 898.9 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5,830 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.988 % 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 0.0587 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9818 % 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 Iraq?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Iraq was 9.4% 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 28.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 2024.
- How does Iraq rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Iraq ranks 95th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq 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.