Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 24.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
24.3%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
41st
of 161 countries
All-time high
24.3%
in 2024
All-time low
17.8%
in 2010
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia is 24.3%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia peaked at 24.3% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 17.8%, in 2010.
That places Malaysia 41st out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.3% | — |
| 2001 | 18.9% | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 18.6% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 18.4% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 18.3% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 18.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 18.2% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 18.0% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 17.9% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 17.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | +1.7% |
| 2013 | 18.5% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 20.8% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 21.2% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 21.6% | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 22.2% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 23.7% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 24.3% | +2.5% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 24.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.0%, 3.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 24.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.0%, 1.5× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.4% | 17.9% | 19.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 17.8% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.0% | 21.6% | 24.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 38 Bangladesh 25.1% compare
- 39 Myanmar 24.5% compare
- 40 South Africa 24.4% compare
- 42 Somalia 23.9% compare
- 43 Zimbabwe 23.7% compare
- 44 Syrian Arab Republic 23.5% compare
- 44 Uganda 23.5% compare
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % 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 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % 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 Malaysia?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Malaysia was 24.3% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 24.3% in 2024.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.8% in 2010.
- How does Malaysia rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Malaysia ranks 41st out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malaysia 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).