Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malta
Malta: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 3.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malta, 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 Malta is 3.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malta peaked at 6.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.5%, in 2020.
That places Malta 140th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malta, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.6% | — |
| 2001 | 6.5% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 6.4% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 6.3% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 5.9% | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 5.7% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 5.4% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 5.5% | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5.4% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.2% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 5.0% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 4.6% | -8.0% |
| 2015 | 4.2% | -8.7% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | -2.8% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 3.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Malta's 3.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.4%, 37% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.0% | 5.4% | 6.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.6% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 137 Republic of Moldova 4.2% compare
- 137 United States of America 4.2% compare
- 139 North Macedonia 3.8% compare
- 140 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3.5% compare
- 142 Paraguay 3.2% compare
- 142 Portugal 3.2% compare
- 142 Turks and Caicos Islands 3.2% compare
More health data for Malta
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,737 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.1693 % 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 0.0194 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1495 % 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 Malta?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malta was 3.5% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 6.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.5% in 2020.
- How does Malta rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Malta ranks 140th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.