Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania
Mauritania: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 25.1% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania, 1988–2022
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 2022, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania stood at 25.1%.
That represents a change of up 44.3% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania peaked at 49.8% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 17.4%, in 2021.
That places Mauritania 33rd out of 97 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 40.2% | — |
| 1996 | 49.8% | +23.9% |
| 2000 | 38.6% | -22.5% |
| 2007 | 31.5% | -18.4% |
| 2008 | 23.6% | -25.1% |
| 2011 | 29.7% | +25.8% |
| 2012 | 23.2% | -21.9% |
| 2015 | 27.9% | +20.3% |
| 2018 | 22.8% | -18.3% |
| 2019 | 19.4% | -14.9% |
| 2020 | 25.8% | +33.0% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | -32.6% |
| 2022 | 25.1% | +44.3% |
Mauritania compared with similar countries
- Mauritania's 25.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.7%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Mauritania's 25.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 88% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 40.2% | 40.2% | 40.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 49.8% | 49.8% | 49.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 31.2% | 23.6% | 38.6% | 3 |
| 2010s | 24.6% | 19.4% | 29.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 22.8% | 17.4% | 25.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mauritania
More health data for Mauritania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8878 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.19 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 653 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 1,563 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.77 % 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 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.77 % 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 Mauritania?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mauritania was 25.1% in 2022, 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 Mauritania?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 1996.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Mauritania?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4% in 2021.
- How does Mauritania rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Mauritania ranks 33rd out of 97 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Mauritania?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mauritania 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.