Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, %) was 32.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 32.3% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 43.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.9%, in 2021.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 7th 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 (modeled estimate, %) in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.2% | — |
| 2001 | 42.9% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 42.6% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 42.2% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 41.8% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 41.3% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 40.7% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 40.0% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 39.2% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 37.5% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 36.7% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 34.4% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 33.9% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 33.4% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 32.4% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 32.0% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 31.9% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 32.0% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 32.1% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 32.3% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.2% | 38.4% | 43.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 32.4% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.1% | 31.9% | 32.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 4 Angola 47.7% compare
- 5 Papua New Guinea 47.6% compare
- 6 Yemen 47.4% compare
- 7 East Timor 45.4% compare
- 8 Guatemala 44.6% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 44.1% compare
- 10 Afghanistan 42.0% compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, annual growth rate 2.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per capita 0.047 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, male, annual growth rate 3.15 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 20-24, female, per capita 0.0465 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per capita 0.055 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, annual growth rate 2.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 25-29, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 32.3% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 43.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.9% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 7th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.