Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 23.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Zimbabwe, 2000–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 23.7% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Zimbabwe peaked at 34.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 2021.
Zimbabwe ranks 43rd of 162 countries on this measure, 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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.1% | — |
| 2001 | 33.4% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 33.7% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 33.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 34.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 34.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 34.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 34.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 33.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 32.9% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 32.1% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 31.0% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 29.7% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 26.3% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 25.3% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 23.5% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 23.5% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 23.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | +0.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 23.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 23.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.8% | 33.1% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.1% | 23.9% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 23.3% | 23.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 874.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,457 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % 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 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Zimbabwe was 23.7% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 34.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2021.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Zimbabwe ranks 43rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.