Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 25.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
25.2%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
37th
of 161 countries
All-time high
38.8%
in 2001
All-time low
25.1%
in 2023
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Sierra Leone, 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 Sierra Leone is 25.2%, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Sierra Leone peaked at 38.8% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 25.1%, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 37th 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 Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 38.7% | — |
| 2001 | 38.8% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 38.8% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 38.6% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 38.4% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 38.1% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 37.8% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 37.3% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 36.7% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 35.9% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 35.1% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 34.3% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 33.3% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 32.4% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 31.5% | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 30.9% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 29.4% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 28.5% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 27.4% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 26.5% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 25.7% | -3.0% |
| 2022 | 25.4% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 25.1% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 25.2% | +0.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 25.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 31.5%, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 25.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.9% | 35.9% | 38.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.3% | 27.4% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 25.1% | 26.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Sierra Leone was 25.2% 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2001.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.1% in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Sierra Leone ranks 37th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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).