Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income

Low & middle income: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 25.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
25.4%
Change on year
up 1.2%
Rank
17th
of 45 groups
All-time high
36.9%
in 2000
All-time low
24.6%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income, 2000–2024

0102030402000201220242000: 36.92001: 36.52002: 36.12003: 35.72004: 35.22005: 34.72006: 34.22007: 33.52008: 32.72009: 31.92010: 312011: 30.12012: 29.32013: 28.62014: 27.92015: 27.22016: 26.62017: 262018: 25.42019: 24.92020: 24.72021: 24.62022: 24.92023: 25.12024: 25.4

Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Analysis

Low & middle income recorded 25.4% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024.

The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income peaked at 36.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 24.6%, in 2021.

That places Low & middle income 17th out of 45 groups 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 Low & middle income, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in Low & middle income, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 36.9%
2001 36.5% -1.1%
2002 36.1% -1.0%
2003 35.7% -1.2%
2004 35.2% -1.4%
2005 34.7% -1.4%
2006 34.2% -1.6%
2007 33.5% -2.0%
2008 32.7% -2.3%
2009 31.9% -2.5%
2010 31.0% -2.8%
2011 30.1% -2.8%
2012 29.3% -2.7%
2013 28.6% -2.6%
2014 27.9% -2.4%
2015 27.2% -2.3%
2016 26.6% -2.3%
2017 26.0% -2.5%
2018 25.4% -2.2%
2019 24.9% -1.8%
2020 24.7% -1.0%
2021 24.6% -0.2%
2022 24.9% +1.1%
2023 25.1% +1.1%
2024 25.4% +1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 34.8% 31.9% 36.9% 10
2010s 27.7% 24.9% 31.0% 10
2020s 24.9% 24.6% 25.4% 5

Countries ranked near Low & middle income

  1. 14 Ethiopia 35.5% compare
  2. 15 Sudan 35.4% compare
  3. 16 Lesotho 35.0% compare
  4. 17 Nigeria 33.8% compare
  5. 18 Pakistan 33.6% compare
  6. 19 Benin 33.2% compare
  7. 19 Malawi 33.2% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for Low & middle income

All data for Low & middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income was 25.4% 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 Low & middle income?
The highest recorded value was 36.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Low & middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 24.6% in 2021.
How does Low & middle income rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
Low & middle income ranks 17th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Low & middle income?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Low & middle income 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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Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Low & middle income. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/low-and-middle-income/

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About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
207 places, 5,161 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.