Prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members
OECD members: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 5.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members stood at 5.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members peaked at 8.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2019.
OECD members ranks 40th of 45 groups on this measure, 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 OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.4% | — |
| 2001 | 8.3% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 8.1% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 7.7% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 7.3% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 7.1% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 6.7% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 6.5% | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 6.2% | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 6.0% | -3.3% |
| 2012 | 5.8% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 5.7% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 5.6% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 5.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 5.7% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 5.8% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 6.5% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 5.4% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.7% | 5.5% | 5.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 37 Sierra Leone 25.2% compare
- 38 Bangladesh 25.1% compare
- 39 Myanmar 24.5% compare
- 40 South Africa 24.4% compare
- 41 Malaysia 24.3% compare
- 42 Somalia 23.9% compare
- 43 Zimbabwe 23.7% compare
More health data for OECD members
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0327 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 0.5105 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0331 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, annual growth rate 0.2277 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.034 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate -0.7104 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per capita 0.0314 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, male, annual growth rate -0.2209 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in OECD members was 5.9% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2019.
- How does OECD members rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- OECD members ranks 40th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.