Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia
Australia: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 3.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.1%
Change on year
up 3.3%
World rank
144th
of 161 countries
All-time high
3.5%
in 2014
All-time low
0.9%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia is 3.1%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia peaked at 3.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2000.
That places Australia 144th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.9% | — |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +11.1% |
| 2002 | 1.2% | +20.0% |
| 2003 | 1.4% | +16.7% |
| 2004 | 1.6% | +14.3% |
| 2005 | 1.9% | +18.7% |
| 2006 | 2.2% | +15.8% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | +13.6% |
| 2008 | 2.8% | +12.0% |
| 2009 | 3.0% | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3.5% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 3.5% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 2019 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | +3.3% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 3.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 89% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Australia's 3.1% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.0%, 19% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.9% | 0.9% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % 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 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % 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 stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Australia was 3.1% 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 Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2000.
- How does Australia rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Australia ranks 144th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia 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 — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).