Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Nigeria
Nigeria: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 33.8% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Nigeria, 1990–2021
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 Nigeria is 33.8%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 7.3% on the previous year and down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Nigeria peaked at 48.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2020.
That places Nigeria 18th out of 97 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 48.7% | — |
| 1993 | 43.8% | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 42.5% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 35.8% | -15.8% |
| 2014 | 33.6% | -6.1% |
| 2015 | 33.0% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 43.6% | +32.1% |
| 2018 | 36.8% | -15.6% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | -14.4% |
| 2021 | 33.8% | +7.3% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 33.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.7%, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 33.8% 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 | 46.2% | 43.8% | 48.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 42.5% | 42.5% | 42.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 36.6% | 33.0% | 43.6% | 5 |
| 2020s | 32.6% | 31.5% | 33.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % 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 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % 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 Nigeria?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Nigeria was 33.8% in 2021, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 48.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2020.
- How does Nigeria rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Nigeria ranks 18th out of 97 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.