Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Middle income

Middle income: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 22.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
22.9%
Change on year
up 1.1%
Rank
23rd
of 45 groups
All-time high
35.3%
in 2000
All-time low
22.2%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Middle income, 2000–2024

0102030402000201220242000: 35.32001: 34.82002: 34.42003: 342004: 33.52005: 332006: 32.42007: 31.72008: 30.92009: 30.12010: 29.22011: 28.32012: 27.42013: 26.62014: 25.92015: 25.22016: 24.52017: 23.82018: 23.22019: 22.72020: 22.32021: 22.22022: 22.42023: 22.62024: 22.9

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

Analysis

Middle income recorded 22.9% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024.

The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Middle income peaked at 35.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.2%, in 2021.

That places Middle income 23rd 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 Middle income, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in Middle income, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 35.3%
2001 34.8% -1.3%
2002 34.4% -1.2%
2003 34.0% -1.3%
2004 33.5% -1.5%
2005 33.0% -1.5%
2006 32.4% -1.7%
2007 31.7% -2.2%
2008 30.9% -2.5%
2009 30.1% -2.7%
2010 29.2% -3.0%
2011 28.3% -3.0%
2012 27.4% -3.0%
2013 26.6% -2.9%
2014 25.9% -2.7%
2015 25.2% -2.7%
2016 24.5% -2.7%
2017 23.8% -2.9%
2018 23.2% -2.7%
2019 22.7% -2.2%
2020 22.3% -1.5%
2021 22.2% -0.5%
2022 22.4% +0.8%
2023 22.6% +0.9%
2024 22.9% +1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 33.0% 30.1% 35.3% 10
2010s 25.7% 22.7% 29.2% 10
2020s 22.5% 22.2% 22.9% 5

Countries ranked near Middle income

  1. 21 India 32.9% compare
  2. 22 Zambia 32.3% compare
  3. 23 Chad 31.5% compare
  4. 24 Vanuatu 31.0% compare
  5. 25 Marshall Islands 30.0% compare
  6. 25 South Sudan 30.0% compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More health data for Middle income

All data for Middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Middle income?
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Middle income was 22.9% 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 Middle income?
The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 2000.
What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 22.2% in 2021.
How does Middle income rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
Middle income ranks 23rd out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Middle income?
Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this 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 Middle income. Statizoid, drawing on Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-stunting-height-for-age-modeled-estimate-percent-of-children-under-5/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.