Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 17.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan stood at 17.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan peaked at 44.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2024.
That places Bhutan 58th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 44.8% | — |
| 2001 | 44.0% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 43.2% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 42.2% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 41.2% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 40.1% | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 38.9% | -3.0% |
| 2007 | 37.5% | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 35.8% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 34.1% | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 32.4% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 30.7% | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 29.1% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 26.3% | -4.7% |
| 2015 | 24.9% | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 23.6% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 21.1% | -5.4% |
| 2019 | 20.1% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 19.3% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 18.4% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 18.0% | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -0.6% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 17.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 84% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 17.9% is below the median for South Asia, which is 21.5%, 83% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.2% | 34.1% | 44.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.8% | 20.1% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.5% | 17.9% | 19.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More health data for Bhutan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -10 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0915 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,531 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 9 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.2986 % 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 0.0299 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.3987 % 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 Bhutan?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Bhutan was 17.9% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 44.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2024.
- How does Bhutan rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Bhutan ranks 58th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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).