Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 12.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 12.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 18.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 2019.
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 33rd of 45 groups on this measure, 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.1% | — |
| 2001 | 17.6% | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 17.2% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 16.7% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 16.3% | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 15.9% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 15.1% | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 14.6% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 14.1% | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 13.2% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 12.8% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 12.6% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 12.4% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 12.3% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 12.1% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12.0% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 12.2% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 12.3% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 12.5% | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.1% | 18.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 12.0% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.2% | 12.0% | 12.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
More health data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per capita 0.0311 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, female, per capita 0.0384 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.033 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, annual growth rate -0.308 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.036 units per person (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 12.5% 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 2019.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 33rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.