Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in India
India: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 32.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.9%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
21st
of 161 countries
All-time high
50.0%
in 2000
All-time low
32.8%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in India, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in India stood at 32.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in India peaked at 50.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 32.8%, in 2023.
India ranks 21st of 161 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50.0% | — |
| 2001 | 49.6% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 49.2% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 48.7% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 48.2% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 47.8% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 47.2% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 46.5% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.8% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 44.9% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 43.8% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 42.7% | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 41.7% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 40.6% | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 38.7% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 37.7% | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 36.6% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 35.6% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 34.6% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 33.8% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 33.3% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 33.0% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 32.8% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 32.9% | +0.3% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 32.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 32.9% is above the median for South Asia, which is 21.5%, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.8% | 44.9% | 50.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.2% | 34.6% | 43.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.2% | 32.8% | 33.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % 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 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % 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 India?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in India was 32.9% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 50.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8% in 2023.
- How does India rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- India ranks 21st out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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).