Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nepal
Nepal: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 26.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
26.0%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
36th
of 161 countries
All-time high
55.9%
in 2000
All-time low
26.0%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nepal, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nepal stood at 26.0%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 29.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nepal peaked at 55.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 2024.
Nepal ranks 36th 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 Nepal, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 55.9% | — |
| 2001 | 54.8% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 53.7% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 52.6% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 51.4% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 50.2% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 48.9% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 47.5% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 46.0% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 44.4% | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 42.8% | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 41.2% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 39.7% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 38.4% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 37.0% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 35.7% | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 34.2% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 32.7% | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 31.1% | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 29.7% | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 28.5% | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 27.5% | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 26.9% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 26.0% | -1.1% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 26.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 26.0% is above the median for South Asia, which is 21.5%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.5% | 44.4% | 55.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.2% | 29.7% | 42.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.0% | 26.0% | 28.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More health data for Nepal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8518 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,326 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 955 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.17 % 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 0.0451 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.11 % 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 Nepal?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nepal was 26.0% 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 Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 55.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Nepal ranks 36th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal 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).