Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Rwanda
Rwanda: Prevalence of stunting, height for age was 33.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Rwanda, 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
The most recent figure for prevalence of stunting, height for age in Rwanda is 33.1%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.9% on the previous year and down 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Rwanda peaked at 56.8% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 33.1%, in 2020.
Rwanda ranks 19th of 97 countries on this measure, 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 56.8% | — |
| 1996 | 45.4% | -20.1% |
| 2000 | 47.9% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 51.4% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 46.6% | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 44.3% | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 43.8% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 38.3% | -12.6% |
| 2018 | 34.8% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 33.1% | -4.9% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 33.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 33.1%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 33.1% 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 | 51.1% | 45.4% | 56.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 48.6% | 46.6% | 51.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 40.3% | 34.8% | 44.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 33.1% | 33.1% | 33.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More health data for Rwanda
- 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 0.891 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 860.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 2,738 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9441 % 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 0.065 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9697 % 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 Rwanda?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Rwanda was 33.1% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 56.8% in 1992.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.1% in 2020.
- How does Rwanda rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Rwanda ranks 19th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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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CSV · JSON — 10 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.