Stunting in children — all countries

Stunting in children — El Salvador

Stunting in children in El Salvador in 2021 — 10%. Ranked 12 in the world out of 32. Since 1988, the indicator has fallen by 26.7 pp.

2021 10% −3.6 pp vs 2014
World rank 12of 32
Period maximum 36.7%1988
Period minimum 10%2021

Trend over time

1988–2021 · % of children under 5

Stunting in children — El Salvador, 1988–20210102030401988199219962000200420082012201620201988: 36.7%1993: 31.6%1998: 32.3%2003: 24.6%2008: 20.8%2014: 13.6%2021: 10%
Change over the period: −26.7 pp Annual average: -0.81 pp
Stunting in children — El Salvador, by year El Salvador All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2021 10
2014 13.6
2008 20.8
2003 24.6
1998 32.3
1993 31.6
1988 36.7

Central America, 2021

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

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.

Source: Global Health Observatory (WHO), license CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.