Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador
Ecuador: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 17.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador, 1986–2024
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 2024, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador stood at 17.4%. That is the lowest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador peaked at 40.2% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 2024.
Ecuador ranks 55th of 97 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 40.2% | — |
| 1999 | 27.9% | -30.6% |
| 2004 | 29.2% | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | -11.3% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 23.9% | -5.9% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | -26.8% |
| 2024 | 17.4% | -0.6% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 17.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 1.7× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 17.4% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.6%, 1.4× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.2% | 40.2% | 40.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.9% | 27.9% | 27.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 27.5% | 25.9% | 29.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.6% | 23.9% | 25.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 17.4% | 17.4% | 17.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More health data for Ecuador
- 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 0.6766 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,324 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 354 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.67 % 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 0.0362 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.67 % 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 Ecuador?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Ecuador was 17.4% in 2024, 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 Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 40.2% in 1986.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2024.
- How does Ecuador rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Ecuador ranks 55th out of 97 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.