Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 3.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
3.5%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
139th
of 161 countries
All-time high
3.6%
in 2000
All-time low
2.8%
in 2012
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2024

012342000201220242000: 3.62001: 3.52002: 3.52003: 3.42004: 3.32005: 3.32006: 3.22007: 3.22008: 3.12009: 32010: 2.92011: 2.92012: 2.82013: 2.82014: 2.82015: 2.92016: 2.92017: 2.92018: 32019: 32020: 3.12021: 3.22022: 3.32023: 3.42024: 3.5

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 3.5% for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024.

The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 3.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2012.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 139th of 161 countries on this measure, in the bottom 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% height-for-age <-2 SD), model-based estimates in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 3.6%
2001 3.5% -2.8%
2002 3.5% +0.0%
2003 3.4% -2.9%
2004 3.3% -2.9%
2005 3.3% +0.0%
2006 3.2% -3.0%
2007 3.2% +0.0%
2008 3.1% -3.1%
2009 3.0% -3.2%
2010 2.9% -3.3%
2011 2.9% +0.0%
2012 2.8% -3.4%
2013 2.8% +0.0%
2014 2.8% +0.0%
2015 2.9% +3.6%
2016 2.9% +0.0%
2017 2.9% +0.0%
2018 3.0% +3.4%
2019 3.0% +0.0%
2020 3.1% +3.3%
2021 3.2% +3.2%
2022 3.3% +3.1%
2023 3.4% +3.0%
2024 3.5% +2.9%

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 3.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 3.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.3%, 81% of the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 3.3% 3.0% 3.6% 10
2010s 2.9% 2.8% 3.0% 10
2020s 3.3% 3.1% 3.5% 5

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 136 Republic of Moldova 4.2% compare
  2. 136 United States of America 4.2% compare
  3. 138 North Macedonia 3.8% compare
  4. 139 Malta 3.5% compare
  5. 141 Portugal 3.2% compare
  6. 141 Paraguay 3.2% compare
  7. 141 Turks and Caicos Islands 3.2% compare

See the full ranking of 182 places →

More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 3.5% 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 3.6% in 2000.
What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2012.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 139th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/stunting-prevalence-among-children-under-5-years-of-age-percent-height-for-age-2-sd-model/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/stunting-prevalence-among-children-under-5-years-of-age-percent-height-for-age-2-sd-model/united-kingdom/">Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% height-for-age <-2 SD), model-based estimates
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
182 places, 4,740 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed