Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait
Kuwait: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 3.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait, 1996–2023
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
The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait is 3.2%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 30.4% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait peaked at 7.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2023.
That places Kuwait 92nd out of 97 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 5.0% | — |
| 2001 | 3.9% | -22.0% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 4.0% | +11.1% |
| 2004 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 4.5% | +9.8% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -25.5% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +5.3% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 4.3% | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | +30.2% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | -11.9% |
| 2016 | 6.3% | +21.2% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | -7.9% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | +20.7% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -34.3% |
| 2020 | 3.8% | -17.4% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | +13.2% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 3.2% | -30.4% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 3.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.8%, 84% of the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 3.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 12.0%, 27% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 1 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 3.6% | 5.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 5.3% | 4.0% | 7.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 4.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 90 Jamaica 4.6% compare
- 91 United States of America 3.8% compare
- 93 Finland 2.8% compare
- 94 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2.0% compare
- 95 Chile 1.8% compare
More health data for Kuwait
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9259 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.41 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 287.2 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 107 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.9273 % 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 0.0264 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6875 % 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 Kuwait?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Kuwait was 3.2% 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 7.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2023.
- How does Kuwait rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Kuwait ranks 92nd out of 97 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kuwait 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 — 24 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.