Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 21.1% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso, 1993–2021
Source: UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
In 2021, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso stood at 21.1%.
That represents a change of up 20.6% on the previous year and down 39.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso peaked at 41.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 17.5%, in 2020.
Burkina Faso ranks 45th of 97 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 38.7% | — |
| 1999 | 41.4% | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | -15.2% |
| 2010 | 34.9% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 34.6% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 32.8% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 31.3% | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 29.0% | -7.3% |
| 2015 | 30.1% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 26.8% | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 21.1% | -21.3% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | +18.0% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 17.5% | -26.5% |
| 2021 | 21.1% | +20.6% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 21.1% is below the median for low income countries, which is 33.1%, 64% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 21.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 74% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 40.0% | 38.7% | 41.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.1% | 35.1% | 35.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 28.9% | 21.1% | 34.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 17.5% | 21.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More health data for Burkina Faso
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8925 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,142 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,085 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0693 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7133 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Burkina Faso was 21.1% in 2021, according to UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children'.
- What is the highest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 41.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.5% in 2020.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Burkina Faso ranks 45th out of 97 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children', published as part of Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% 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.