Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya
Kenya: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 17.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
17.9%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
58th
of 161 countries
All-time high
38.6%
in 2000
All-time low
17.9%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya stood at 17.9%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 32.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya peaked at 38.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2024.
Kenya ranks 58th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 38.6% | — |
| 2001 | 38.5% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 38.5% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 38.2% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 37.8% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 37.3% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 36.7% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 35.7% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 34.6% | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 33.3% | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 30.4% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 29.0% | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 27.7% | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 26.5% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 24.3% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 23.1% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 22.0% | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 20.9% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 19.2% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 18.7% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 17.9% | -1.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 17.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 84% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 17.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 72% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.9% | 33.3% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 20.9% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.8% | 17.9% | 20.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 0.0621 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.28 % 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 Kenya?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Kenya 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2024.
- How does Kenya rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Kenya ranks 58th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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).