Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Philippines
Philippines: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 26.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Philippines, 1987–2021
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
Philippines recorded 26.7% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Philippines peaked at 44.7% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2021.
Philippines ranks 27th of 97 countries on this measure, 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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 44.7% | — |
| 1990 | 43.3% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 40.9% | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 38.9% | -4.9% |
| 1998 | 38.3% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 33.4% | -12.8% |
| 2008 | 32.0% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 33.4% | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 30.0% | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 33.1% | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 29.9% | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 28.7% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 26.7% | -7.0% |
Philippines compared with similar countries
- Philippines's 26.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10.5%, 2.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Philippines's 26.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 21.2%, 1.3× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.7% | 44.7% | 44.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 40.3% | 38.3% | 43.3% | 4 |
| 2000s | 32.7% | 32.0% | 33.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 31.0% | 28.7% | 33.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 26.7% | 26.7% | 26.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
- 24 Cameroon 28.9% compare
- 25 Guinea-Bissau 28.1% compare
- 26 Syrian Arab Republic 27.9% compare
- 27 Myanmar 26.7% compare
- 29 Sierra Leone 26.3% compare
- 30 Guinea 26.1% compare
More health data for Philippines
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5317 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,456 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 7,006 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.61 % 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 0.037 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.21 % 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 Philippines?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Philippines was 26.7% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 1987.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2021.
- How does Philippines rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Philippines ranks 27th out of 97 countries with data for 2021.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.