Prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia
South Asia: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 31.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
South Asia recorded 31.5% 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 0.1% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia peaked at 50.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2024.
That places South Asia 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50.4% | — |
| 2001 | 49.8% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 49.3% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 48.8% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 48.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 47.6% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 47.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 46.1% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 45.3% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 44.3% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 43.2% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 42.1% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 40.9% | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 39.9% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 38.8% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 37.8% | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 36.8% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 35.7% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 34.6% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 33.5% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 32.7% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 32.1% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 31.8% | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 31.5% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.7% | 44.3% | 50.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.3% | 33.5% | 43.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.9% | 31.5% | 32.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 8 Guatemala 44.6% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 44.1% compare
- 10 Afghanistan 42.0% compare
- 11 Central African Republic 38.9% compare
- 12 Madagascar 38.4% compare
- 13 Mozambique 37.0% compare
- 14 Ethiopia 35.5% compare
More health data for South Asia
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 0.1112 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, per capita 0.0146 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.043 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 4.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, female, annual growth rate 2.63 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in South Asia was 31.5% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2024.
- How does South Asia rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- South Asia ranks 11th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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.