Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zambia
Zambia: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 32.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.3%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
22nd
of 161 countries
All-time high
52.1%
in 2000
All-time low
31.6%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zambia stood at 32.3%.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zambia peaked at 52.1% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.6%, in 2021.
That places Zambia 22nd out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.1% | — |
| 2001 | 52.0% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 51.8% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 51.2% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 50.5% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 49.7% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 48.8% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 47.7% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 46.4% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 45.0% | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 43.6% | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 42.1% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 40.8% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 39.6% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 38.6% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 37.7% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 36.5% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 35.2% | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 33.9% | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 32.0% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 31.6% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 31.8% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 32.0% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 32.3% | +0.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 32.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 32.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.5% | 45.0% | 52.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.1% | 32.8% | 43.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.9% | 31.6% | 32.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More health data for Zambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7971 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 809.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,894 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.68 % 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 0.0743 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.69 % 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 Zambia?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zambia was 32.3% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.1% in 2000.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.6% in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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).