Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 35.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi, 1992–2020
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 2020, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi stood at 35.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi peaked at 62.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 14th of 97 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 55.4% | — |
| 1995 | 53.8% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 62.3% | +15.8% |
| 2000 | 54.7% | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 58.3% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 52.5% | -9.9% |
| 2006 | 53.1% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 48.8% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 42.4% | -10.4% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | -11.8% |
| 2016 | 38.3% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 39.3% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 39.0% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 34.0% | -12.8% |
| 2020 | 35.5% | +4.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 35.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.1%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 35.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 1.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.2% | 53.8% | 62.3% | 3 |
| 2000s | 53.5% | 48.8% | 58.3% | 5 |
| 2010s | 39.7% | 34.0% | 47.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 35.5% | 35.5% | 35.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % 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 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % 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 Malawi?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Malawi was 35.5% in 2020, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 62.3% in 1998.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Malawi ranks 14th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.