Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) in Laos
Laos: Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) was 29.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Laos, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Laos recorded 29.9% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 21.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Laos peaked at 48.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 29.9%, in 2024.
That places Laos 27th 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 (modeled estimate, %) in Laos, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 48.9% | — |
| 2001 | 48.7% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 48.5% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 48.2% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 47.8% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 47.4% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 46.1% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.1% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 44.0% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 42.8% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 41.6% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 40.5% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 39.4% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 38.3% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 37.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 36.1% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 34.8% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 33.6% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 32.4% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 30.8% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 30.5% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 30.2% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 29.9% | -1.0% |
Laos compared with similar countries
- Laos's 29.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Laos's 29.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.0%, 1.9× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.1% | 44.0% | 48.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.7% | 32.4% | 42.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.6% | 29.9% | 31.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Laos
- 24 Vanuatu 31.0% compare
- 25 Marshall Islands 30.0% compare
- 25 South Sudan 30.0% compare
- 27 Tanzania 29.9% compare
- 29 Rwanda 29.8% compare
- 29 Solomon Islands 29.8% compare
More health data for Laos
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5667 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 317 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 15 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5161 % 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 0.0489 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5055 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0511 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Laos?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Laos was 29.9% 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 Laos?
- The highest recorded value was 48.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Laos?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.9% in 2024.
- How does Laos rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Laos ranks 27th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Laos?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Laos 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.