Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 23.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
23.7%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
43rd
of 161 countries
All-time high
34.3%
in 2006
All-time low
23.3%
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe is 23.7%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zimbabwe peaked at 34.3% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 2021.
That places Zimbabwe 43rd out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.1% | — |
| 2001 | 33.4% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 33.7% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 33.9% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 34.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 34.2% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 34.3% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 34.1% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 33.9% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 33.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 32.9% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 32.1% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 31.0% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 29.7% | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 26.3% | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 25.3% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 24.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 23.9% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 23.5% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 23.3% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 23.5% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 23.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 23.7% | +0.9% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 23.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 23.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 33.8% | 33.1% | 34.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.1% | 23.9% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 23.3% | 23.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 874.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,457 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % 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 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % 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 Zimbabwe?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Zimbabwe was 23.7% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 34.3% in 2006.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2021.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 43rd out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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).