Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United States of America
United States of America: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
4.2%
Change on year
up 5.0%
World rank
136th
of 161 countries
All-time high
4.2%
in 2024
All-time low
2.5%
in 2008
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United States of America, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 4.2% for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 55.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United States of America peaked at 4.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2008.
That places United States of America 136th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.1% | — |
| 2001 | 3.0% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 2.9% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 2.7% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2.5% | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2.6% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 2.7% | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 2.9% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 3.6% | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 4.2% | +5.0% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 4.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.5%, 1.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 133 China 4.5% compare
- 133 Kuwait 4.5% compare
- 135 Kazakhstan 4.4% compare
- 136 Republic of Moldova 4.2% compare
- 138 North Macedonia 3.8% compare
- 139 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3.5% compare
- 139 Malta 3.5% compare
More health data for United States of America
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1867 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,069 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,015 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2023)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.056 % 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 0.0261 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1919 % 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 United States of America?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in United States of America was 4.2% 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 United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2008.
- How does United States of America rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- United States of America ranks 136th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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).