Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 35.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
35.5%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
14th
of 161 countries
All-time high
56.9%
in 2000
All-time low
35.5%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia stood at 35.5%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia peaked at 56.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 35.5%, in 2024.
That places Ethiopia 14th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 56.9% | — |
| 2001 | 55.9% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 54.9% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 53.9% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 52.8% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 51.6% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 50.4% | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 49.0% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 47.5% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 46.0% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 44.6% | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 43.2% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 42.1% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 40.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 39.6% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 38.8% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 38.0% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 37.2% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 36.5% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 35.9% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 35.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 35.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 35.5% | -0.3% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 35.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 31.5%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 35.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.9% | 46.0% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 36.5% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.6% | 35.5% | 35.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 11 Central African Republic 38.9% compare
- 12 Madagascar 38.4% compare
- 13 Mozambique 37.0% compare
- 15 Sudan 35.4% compare
- 16 Lesotho 35.0% compare
- 17 Nigeria 33.8% compare
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 744.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 19,997 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Ethiopia was 35.5% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 56.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.5% in 2024.
- How does Ethiopia rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Ethiopia ranks 14th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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).