Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region)
Europe (WHO region): Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.6%
Change on year
unchanged
Rank
17th
of 19 groups
All-time high
13.8%
in 1990
All-time low
4.6%
in 2022
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region), 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region) stood at 4.6%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region) peaked at 13.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2022.
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 Europe (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 13.8% | — |
| 1991 | 13.6% | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 13.3% | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 13.0% | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 12.7% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 12.4% | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 12.0% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 11.6% | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 11.2% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 10.8% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 10.4% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 10.1% | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 9.9% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 9.6% | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 9.3% | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 9.1% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 8.8% | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 8.1% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 7.3% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | -4.3% |
| 2013 | 6.5% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 6.0% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 5.1% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 4.7% | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 4.6% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.4% | 10.8% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.2% | 7.7% | 10.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.1% | 5.1% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Europe (WHO region)
More health data for Europe (WHO region)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 52,021 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38,686 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 199 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 85 (2025)
- Number of neonatal deaths, annual growth rate -3.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of infant deaths, annual growth rate -5.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of under-five deaths, annual growth rate -8.58 % change on previous year (2024)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -74.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -82.58 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region)?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Europe (WHO region) was 4.6% 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 Europe (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 1990.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Europe (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2022.
- How does Europe (WHO region) rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Europe (WHO region) ranks 17th out of 19 groups with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Europe (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe (WHO region) 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).