Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 33.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
33.8%
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
17th
of 161 countries
All-time high
41.8%
in 2000
All-time low
33.4%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria is 33.8%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nigeria peaked at 41.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 33.4%, in 2021.
That places Nigeria 17th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
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 Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.8% | — |
| 2001 | 41.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 41.5% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 41.3% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 41.0% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 40.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 40.3% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 39.8% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 39.3% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 38.7% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 38.0% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 37.4% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 36.9% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 36.5% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 36.2% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 35.8% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 35.4% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 34.9% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 34.4% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 33.9% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 33.5% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 33.4% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 33.5% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 33.6% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 33.8% | +0.6% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 33.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 33.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.6% | 38.7% | 41.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 33.9% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.6% | 33.4% | 33.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nigeria?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Nigeria was 33.8% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 41.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.4% in 2021.
- How does Nigeria rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Nigeria ranks 17th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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).