Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China

China: Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) was 2,351 in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2,351
Change on year
down 12.2%
World rank
14th
of 161 countries
All-time high
17,000
in 2000
All-time low
2,351
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China, 2000–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k2000201220242000: 17.0k2001: 15.6k2002: 14.3k2003: 13.0k2004: 11.8k2005: 10.8k2006: 9.9k2007: 9.2k2008: 8.6k2009: 8.1k2010: 7.5k2011: 7.0k2012: 6.6k2013: 6.3k2014: 6.0k2015: 5.8k2016: 5.5k2017: 5.3k2018: 4.9k2019: 4.4k2020: 4.0k2021: 3.5k2022: 3.1k2023: 2.7k2024: 2.4k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

China recorded 2,351 for stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 12.2% on the previous year and down 60.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China peaked at 17,000 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2,351, in 2024.

That places China 14th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China, year by year

Annual values for Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions), model-based estimates in China, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 17,000
2001 15,601 -8.2%
2002 14,256 -8.6%
2003 12,966 -9.1%
2004 11,827 -8.8%
2005 10,793 -8.7%
2006 9,901 -8.3%
2007 9,171 -7.4%
2008 8,582 -6.4%
2009 8,061 -6.1%
2010 7,496 -7.0%
2011 6,966 -7.1%
2012 6,600 -5.3%
2013 6,284 -4.8%
2014 5,995 -4.6%
2015 5,760 -3.9%
2016 5,540 -3.8%
2017 5,254 -5.1%
2018 4,880 -7.1%
2019 4,448 -8.9%
2020 4,003 -10.0%
2021 3,542 -11.5%
2022 3,074 -13.2%
2023 2,678 -12.9%
2024 2,351 -12.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11,816 8,061 17,000 10
2010s 5,922 4,448 7,496 10
2020s 3,130 2,351 4,003 5

Countries ranked near China

  1. 11 Afghanistan 2,850 compare
  2. 12 Sudan 2,703 compare
  3. 13 Philippines 2,542 compare
  4. 15 Niger 2,310 compare
  5. 16 Mozambique 2,142 compare
  6. 17 Uganda 1,896 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More health data for China

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China?
Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China was 2,351 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) recorded in China?
The highest recorded value was 17,000 in 2000.
What is the lowest stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) recorded in China?
The lowest recorded value was 2,351 in 2024.
How does China rank for stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions)?
China ranks 14th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
Is stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) rising or falling in China?
Over the last ten years it is down 60.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/stunting-numbers-among-children-under-5-years-of-age-millions-model-based-estimates/china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/stunting-numbers-among-children-under-5-years-of-age-millions-model-based-estimates/china/">Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions) in China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Stunting numbers among children under 5 years of age (millions), model-based estimates
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
176 places, 4,530 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed