Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq
Iraq: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 9.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
9.4%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
95th
of 161 countries
All-time high
28.0%
in 2000
All-time low
9.4%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 9.4% for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 45.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq peaked at 28.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 2024.
Iraq ranks 95th of 161 countries on this measure, 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 Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 28.0% | — |
| 2001 | 27.8% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.6% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 27.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 27.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 26.9% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 26.5% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 23.9% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 22.6% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 21.2% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 19.8% | -6.6% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 17.3% | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 15.2% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 13.1% | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 11.2% | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 10.5% | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 10.0% | -4.8% |
| 2023 | 9.7% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 9.4% | -3.1% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 9.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 1.2× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 9.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.4%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.6% | 23.9% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.0% | 12.1% | 22.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.2% | 9.4% | 11.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 93 Sao Tome and Principe 10.0% compare
- 94 Brunei Darussalam 9.9% compare
- 95 El Salvador 9.4% compare
- 97 Libya 9.2% compare
- 98 Brazil 8.9% compare
- 98 Tunisia 8.9% compare
- 98 Algeria 8.9% compare
More health data for Iraq
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 898.9 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5,830 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.988 % 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 0.0587 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9818 % 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 Iraq?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq was 9.4% 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 28.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 2024.
- How does Iraq rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Iraq ranks 95th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq 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).