Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World
World: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 23.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
23.2%
Change on year
up 1.3%
Rank
10th
of 19 groups
All-time high
40.3%
in 1990
All-time low
22.4%
in 2020
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World, 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World stood at 23.2%.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World peaked at 40.3% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 22.4%, in 2020.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 40.3% | — |
| 1991 | 39.7% | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 38.9% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 38.2% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 37.4% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 36.6% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 35.8% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 34.9% | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 34.2% | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 33.6% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 33.1% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 32.7% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 32.4% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 32.0% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 31.6% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 31.2% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 30.7% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 30.1% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 29.4% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 28.7% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 27.9% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 27.1% | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 26.4% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 25.8% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 25.2% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 24.6% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 24.1% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 23.5% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 22.6% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 22.4% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.6% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 22.9% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 23.2% | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.0% | 33.6% | 40.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.2% | 28.7% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.0% | 22.6% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.7% | 22.4% | 23.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near World
- 7 Timor-Leste 45.4% compare
- 8 Guatemala 44.6% compare
- 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 44.1% compare
- 10 Afghanistan 42.0% compare
- 11 Central African Republic 38.9% compare
- 12 Madagascar 38.4% compare
- 13 Mozambique 37.0% compare
More health data for World
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,458 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.47 % 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 0.0381 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6031 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0401 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, annual growth rate -0.915 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female, per capita 0.04 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in World was 23.2% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 40.3% in 1990.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.4% in 2020.
- How does World rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- World ranks 10th out of 19 groups with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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
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