Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique
Mozambique: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 36.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique, 1995–2022
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
The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique is 36.7%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique peaked at 59.9% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 36.7%, in 2022.
That places Mozambique 12th out of 97 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 59.9% | — |
| 1997 | 42.6% | -28.9% |
| 2001 | 50.7% | +19.0% |
| 2003 | 46.9% | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 43.5% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 42.9% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 42.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 37.5% | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 36.7% | -2.1% |
Mozambique compared with similar countries
- Mozambique's 36.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.1%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Mozambique's 36.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 1.3× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.2% | 42.6% | 59.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 47.0% | 43.5% | 50.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 42.6% | 42.3% | 42.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 37.1% | 36.7% | 37.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mozambique
More health data for Mozambique
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.85 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.16 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 869.7 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 18,288 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 139 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.92 % 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 0.0823 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.92 % 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 Mozambique?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Mozambique was 36.7% 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 Mozambique?
- The highest recorded value was 59.9% in 1995.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Mozambique?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.7% in 2022.
- How does Mozambique rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Mozambique ranks 12th out of 97 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Mozambique?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mozambique 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 — 9 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.