Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR
AFR: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 31.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
31.7%
Change on year
up 0.3%
Rank
2nd
of 19 groups
All-time high
46.5%
in 1991
All-time low
31.3%
in 2021
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR, 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
AFR recorded 31.7% for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR peaked at 46.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 31.3%, in 2021.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 46.3% | — |
| 1991 | 46.5% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 46.5% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 46.3% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 46.0% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 45.6% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 45.0% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 44.4% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 43.8% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 43.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 42.7% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 42.4% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 42.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 41.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 41.0% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 40.4% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 39.7% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 38.8% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 37.9% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 37.0% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 36.2% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 35.4% | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 34.8% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 34.3% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 33.8% | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 33.3% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 32.7% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 32.2% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 31.7% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 31.4% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 31.3% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 31.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 31.6% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 31.7% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.4% | 43.4% | 46.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.9% | 37.9% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.1% | 31.7% | 37.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 31.3% | 31.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near AFR
More health data for AFR
- Mortality rate among children ages 5 to 9 years 8.27 (2024)
- Population with primary reliance on polluting fuels and technologies 632.45 (2023)
- Population with primary reliance on fuels and technologies for 572.82 (2023)
- Proportion of population with primary reliance on fuels and 83.2% (2023)
- Prevalence of diabetes, crude 8.58 (2022)
- Diphtheria tetanus toxoid and pertussis first-dose (DTP1) 83.0% (2025)
- Measles-containing-vaccine first-dose (MCV1) immunization coverage 71.0% (2025)
- New HIV infections 0.49 (2025)
- BCG immunization coverage among 1-year-olds (%) 82.0% (2025)
- Mean HDL cholesterol, crude 1.1 (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in AFR was 31.7% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in AFR?
- The highest recorded value was 46.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in AFR?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3% in 2021.
- How does AFR rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- AFR ranks 2nd out of 19 groups with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in AFR?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this AFR data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% height-for-age <-2 SD), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).