Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 10.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sao Tome and Principe, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Sao Tome and Principe recorded 10.0% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 40.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sao Tome and Principe peaked at 30.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 2024.
That places Sao Tome and Principe 93rd out of 162 countries 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 Sao Tome and Principe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 30.8% | — |
| 2001 | 30.3% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 29.6% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 28.6% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 27.5% | -3.8% |
| 2005 | 26.3% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 25.1% | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 24.0% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 21.8% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 20.8% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 19.7% | -5.3% |
| 2012 | 18.6% | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 17.6% | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 16.7% | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 15.7% | -6.0% |
| 2016 | 14.7% | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 13.8% | -6.1% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 12.0% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 11.3% | -5.8% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 10.4% | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 10.2% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 10.0% | -2.0% |
Sao Tome and Principe compared with similar countries
- Sao Tome and Principe's 10.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 47% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Sao Tome and Principe's 10.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 40% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.7% | 21.8% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.2% | 12.0% | 20.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.5% | 10.0% | 11.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sao Tome and Principe
More health data for Sao Tome and Principe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -6.25 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 793.5 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 15 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.58 % 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 0.0651 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.65 % 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 Sao Tome and Principe?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sao Tome and Principe was 10.0% 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 Sao Tome and Principe?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Sao Tome and Principe?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 2024.
- How does Sao Tome and Principe rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Sao Tome and Principe ranks 93rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Sao Tome and Principe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sao Tome and Principe 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
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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.