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Stunting in children

The share of children under five whose height is markedly below the norm for their age.

Unit: % of children under 5 Period: 1983–2024 Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO)
Source: WHO · About the indicator
Average: 17.3% Countries: 163

The ranking uses the latest available value for each country — the year is shown in the row. The table spans 1995 to 2024.

Stunting in children, 1995–2024

Top-20 · % of children under 5

Stunting in children, 1995–2024303540455055BurundiBurundi: 52.8%52.8EritreaEritrea: 52.5%52.5Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea: 49.5%49.5YemenYemen: 48.5%48.5NigerNiger: 47.7%47.7Timor-LesteTimor-Leste: 46.7%46.7GuatemalaGuatemala: 46%46Democratic Republic of …Democratic Republic of the Congo: 44.7%44.7AfghanistanAfghanistan: 44.6%44.6MadagascarMadagascar: 39.8%39.8SudanSudan: 38.2%38.2Central African RepublicCentral African Republic: 37.9%37.9AngolaAngola: 37.6%37.6PakistanPakistan: 37.6%37.6EthiopiaEthiopia: 36.8%36.8MozambiqueMozambique: 36.7%36.7LesothoLesotho: 35.6%35.6IndiaIndia: 35.5%35.5MalawiMalawi: 35.5%35.5Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands: 34.8%34.8

The scale does not start at zero — the values lie in a narrow range, and starting from zero the bars would be indistinguishable. The axis ticks are labeled.

Stunting in children — 1995–2024 Current breakdown Full series CSV XLSX JSON
# Year Subregion World rank
1 BI Burundi 52.8 2024 163
2 ER Eritrea 52.5 2010 162
3 PG Papua New Guinea 49.5 2010 161
4 YE Yemen 48.5 2022 160
5 NE Niger 47.7 2022 159
6 TL Timor-Leste 46.7 2020 158
7 GT Guatemala 46 2021 157
8 CD Democratic Republic of the Congo 44.7 2023 156
9 AF Afghanistan 44.6 2022 155
10 MG Madagascar 39.8 2021 154
11 SD Sudan 38.2 2014 153
12 CF Central African Republic 37.9 2022 152
13 AO Angola 37.6 2015 150
14 PK Pakistan 37.6 2018 150
15 ET Ethiopia 36.8 2019 149
16 MZ Mozambique 36.7 2022 148
17 LS Lesotho 35.6 2024 147
18 IN India 35.5 2020 145
19 MW Malawi 35.5 2020 145
20 MH Marshall Islands 34.8 2017 144
21 ZM Zambia 34.6 2018 143
22 BJ Benin 34.1 2021 142
23 NG Nigeria 33.8 2021 141
24 RW Rwanda 33.1 2020 140
25 LA Laos 32.8 2023 139
26 TD Chad 31.9 2022 138
27 SB Solomon Islands 31.7 2015 137
28 SS South Sudan 31.3 2010 136
29 TZ Tanzania 30 2022 135
30 LR Liberia 29.8 2019 134
31 BW Botswana 28.9 2007 131
32 CM Cameroon 28.9 2018 131
33 VU Vanuatu 28.9 2013 131
34 GW Guinea-Bissau 28.1 2019 130
35 SY Syria 27.9 2010 129
36 MM Myanmar 26.7 2018 127
37 PH Philippines 26.7 2021 127
38 SL Sierra Leone 26.3 2021 126
39 GQ Equatorial Guinea 26.2 2011 125
40 GN Guinea 26.1 2022 124
41 ZW Zimbabwe 25.9 2024 123
42 DJ Djibouti 25.5 2023 122
43 SO Somalia 25.3 2009 121
44 ML Mali 25.1 2024 119
45 MR Mauritania 25.1 2022 119
46 NP Nepal 24.8 2022 118
47 UG Uganda 24.4 2022 117
48 TG Togo 23.8 2017 116
49 BD Bangladesh 23.6 2022 115
50 CI Côte d'Ivoire 23.4 2021 114
51 UA Ukraine 22.9 2000 113
52 NA Namibia 22.7 2013 112
53 HT Haiti 22 2023 110
54 ID Indonesia 22 2023 110
55 KH Cambodia 21.9 2021 109
56 ZA South Africa 21.3 2017 108
57 MY Malaysia 21.2 2022 106
58 CG Republic of the Congo 21.2 2014 106
59 BF Burkina Faso 21.1 2021 105
60 SZ Eswatini 20 2021 104
61 BN Brunei Darussalam 19.6 2009 103
62 KP North Korea 19.1 2017 102
63 HN Honduras 18.7 2019 101
64 KM Comoros 18.2 2022 99
65 VN Vietnam 18.2 2023 99
66 BT Bhutan 17.9 2023 98
67 KE Kenya 17.6 2022 97
68 GM Gambia 17.5 2020 95
69 SN Senegal 17.5 2023 95
70 EC Ecuador 17.4 2024 93
71 GH Ghana 17.4 2022 93
72 NI Nicaragua 17.3 2012 92
73 BO Bolivia 16.1 2016 91
74 PA Panama 15.9 2019 90
75 NR Nauru 15.7 2023 89
76 MV Maldives 15.3 2017 88
77 KI Kiribati 15.2 2018 87
78 BZ Belize 15 2015 86
79 GA Gabon 14.4 2020 85
80 MA Morocco 14.2 2019 84
81 KG Kyrgyzstan 14.1 2023 83
82 LB Lebanon 13.9 2023 82
83 TJ Tajikistan 13.7 2023 81
84 BH Bahrain 13.6 1995 79
85 MU Mauritius 13.6 1995 79
86 VE Venezuela 13.4 2009 78
87 EG Egypt 12.8 2021 76
88 RO Romania 12.8 2002 76
89 CO Colombia 12.7 2016 75
90 IQ Iraq 12.6 2018 74
91 MX Mexico 12.5 2022 73
92 TH Thailand 12.4 2022 72
93 ST Sao Tome and Principe 11.7 2019 71
94 PE Peru 11.5 2023 70
95 OM Oman 11.4 2017 69
96 AL Albania 11.3 2017 68
97 SA Saudi Arabia 10.8 2020 67
98 LK Sri Lanka 10.5 2024 66
99 SV El Salvador 10 2021 65
100 DZ Algeria 9.8 2019 64
101 GY Guyana 9.5 2019 63
102 AM Armenia 9.4 2016 62
103 TT Trinidad and Tobago 9.2 2011 61
104 CR Costa Rica 9 2018 60
105 BA Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.9 2012 59
106 MN Mongolia 8.8 2023 58
107 AR Argentina 8.7 2018 56
108 PS Palestine 8.7 2020 56
109 TN Tunisia 8.4 2018 55
110 SR Suriname 8.3 2018 54
111 JO Jordan 8.2 2023 53
112 BR Brazil 8 2019 51
113 KZ Kazakhstan 8 2015 51
114 LY Libya 7.9 2022 49
115 SC Seychelles 7.9 2012 49
116 BB Barbados 7.7 2012 48
117 WS Samoa 7.3 2019 47
118 FJ Fiji 7.2 2021 44
119 ME Montenegro 7.2 2018 44
120 TM Turkmenistan 7.2 2019 44
121 CU Cuba 7.1 2019 42
122 JP Japan 7.1 2010 42
123 BG Bulgaria 7 2014 41
124 UY Uruguay 6.9 2018 40
125 DO Dominican Republic 6.7 2019 39
126 AZ Azerbaijan 6.6 2023 38
127 UZ Uzbekistan 6.5 2021 37
128 MD Moldova 6.4 2012 36
129 QA Qatar 6.2 2023 35
130 CV Cabo Verde 6 2018 33
131 TR Türkiye 6 2018 33
132 GE Georgia 5.8 2018 32
133 TV Tuvalu 5.7 2019 31
134 PY Paraguay 5.6 2016 30
135 RS Serbia 5.4 2019 29
136 CN China 4.8 2017 27
137 IR Iran 4.8 2017 27
138 JM Jamaica 4.6 2018 25
139 TC Turks and Caicos Islands 4.6 2020 25
140 SG Singapore 4.5 2000 24
141 MK North Macedonia 4.3 2019 23
142 US United States 3.8 2022 22
143 MT Malta 3.3 2022 21
144 KW Kuwait 3.2 2023 19
145 PT Portugal 3.2 2016 19
146 CZ Czechia 2.8 2001 17
147 FI Finland 2.8 2023 17
148 LC Saint Lucia 2.5 2012 16
149 IE Ireland 2.2 2011 14
150 TO Tonga 2.2 2019 14
151 GB United Kingdom 2 2019 13
152 AU Australia 1.9 2007 11
153 BE Belgium 1.9 2023 11
154 CL Chile 1.8 2014 10
155 GR Greece 1.5 2003 8
156 NL Netherlands 1.5 2009 8
157 DE Germany 1.3 2016 7
158 BY Belarus 1.2 2023 5
159 EE Estonia 1.2 2014 5
160 LT Lithuania 1 2023 3
161 PL Poland 1 2018 3
162 KR South Korea 0.9 2020 2
163 LV Latvia 0.5 2021 1
Nothing found. Check the spelling of the name.
Maximum 52.8%
Median 13.9%
Minimum 0.5%

About the indicator

The share of children under five whose height falls short of the WHO norm for their age by more than two standard deviations. Stunting is the trace of a prolonged shortage of nutrition in the first years of life, and it is irreversible: height cannot be made up later. That is why the indicator is considered the main measure of chronic undernutrition, unlike wasting, which speaks of an acute shortage of food right now.

Important: The data come from sample household surveys and are not annual: for the intervening years there are no values. The aggregate by country group is weighted by the number of children aged 0–14 — it cannot be weighted by population, the share of small children is too different.

Updates
annually
Unit of measurement
% of children under 5
Observation period
1983–2024
License
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Dataset
Global Health Observatory

Related indicators

Nutrition 1983–2024 Wasting in children

The share of children under five whose weight is markedly below the norm for their height.

% of children under 5 46 countries WHO Nutrition 1983–2024 Underweight children

The share of children under 5 whose weight is insufficient for their age.

% of children under 5 44 countries WHO Nutrition 2001–2023 Prevalence of undernourishment

The share of the population whose calorie intake is below the minimum requirement.

% of population 165 countries FAO Mortality 1960–2024 Under-five mortality rate

The probability of dying before the fifth birthday — per 1,000 live births.

per 1,000 live births 196 countries WHO
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