Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Panama
Panama: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 14.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
14.0%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
72nd
of 161 countries
All-time high
21.6%
in 2008
All-time low
13.9%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Panama, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Panama stood at 14.0%.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 26.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Panama peaked at 21.6% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 13.9%, in 2023.
That places Panama 72nd out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Panama, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.3% | — |
| 2001 | 18.5% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 18.9% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 19.4% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 20.1% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 21.2% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 21.6% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 21.4% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 21.2% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 20.2% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 19.0% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 18.4% | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 17.7% | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 15.2% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 14.1% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 14.0% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 13.9% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 14.0% | +0.7% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 14.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 4.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Panama's 14.0% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 10.0%, 1.4× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 20.2% | 18.3% | 21.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.5% | 15.2% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.1% | 13.9% | 14.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Panama
More health data for Panama
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.94 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.5994 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,074 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 101 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.2522 % 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 0.0378 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.3451 % 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 Panama?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Panama was 14.0% 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 2008.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.9% in 2023.
- How does Panama rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Panama ranks 72nd out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama 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).