Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland
Finland: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 2.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland, 2013–2023
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 2023, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland stood at 2.8%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 55.6% on the previous year and up 55.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland peaked at 2.8% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 2017.
That places Finland 93rd out of 97 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1.8% | — |
| 2014 | 1.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.7% | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 1.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | -23.5% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.8% | +38.5% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | +55.6% |
Finland compared with similar countries
- Finland's 2.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.8%, 74% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Finland's 2.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 6.6%, 42% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.8% | 1.3% | 2.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Finland
More health data for Finland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4544 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,271 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 11 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.4631 % 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 0.0202 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.1502 % 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 Finland?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Finland was 2.8% in 2023, 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 Finland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 2023.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Finland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 2017.
- How does Finland rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Finland ranks 93rd out of 97 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Finland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Finland 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.