Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5) in Tanzania
Tanzania: Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5) was 30.0% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Tanzania, 1991–2022
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
Tanzania recorded 30.0% for prevalence of stunting, height for age in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.3% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of stunting, height for age in Tanzania peaked at 49.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 30.0%, in 2022.
That places Tanzania 22nd out of 97 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 49.9% | — |
| 1996 | 49.6% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 48.3% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 44.4% | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 43.2% | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 42.1% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 35.0% | -16.9% |
| 2013 | 37.4% | +6.9% |
| 2014 | 34.7% | -7.2% |
| 2015 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 31.8% | -7.8% |
| 2021 | 32.7% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | -8.3% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 30.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.7%, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 30.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.5%, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.3% | 48.3% | 49.9% | 3 |
| 2000s | 43.8% | 43.2% | 44.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 31.8% | 42.1% | 6 |
| 2020s | 31.4% | 30.0% | 32.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
More health data for Tanzania
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7342 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 32,514 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 13 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.86 % 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 0.0786 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0805 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of stunting, height for age in Tanzania?
- Prevalence of stunting, height for age in Tanzania was 30.0% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 49.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest prevalence of stunting, height for age recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.0% in 2022.
- How does Tanzania rank for prevalence of stunting, height for age?
- Tanzania ranks 22nd out of 97 countries with data for 2022.
- Is prevalence of stunting, height for age rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.