Stunting in children — all countries

Stunting in children — Saudi Arabia

Stunting in children in Saudi Arabia in 2020 — 10.8%. Ranked 8 in the world out of 26. Since 1994, the indicator has fallen by 10.6 pp.

2020 10.8% −2.4 pp vs 2019
World rank 8of 26
Period maximum 21.4%1994
Period minimum 9.3%2004

Trend over time

1994–2020 · % of children under 5

Stunting in children — Saudi Arabia, 1994–202051015202519941997200020032006200920122015201820201994: 21.4%2004: 9.3%2015: 13.7%2016: 17.1%2017: 17.2%2018: 11.6%2019: 13.2%2020: 10.8%
Change over the period: −10.6 pp Annual average: -0.41 pp
Stunting in children — Saudi Arabia, by year Saudi Arabia All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2020 10.8 −2.4 pp
2019 13.2 +1.6 pp
2018 11.6 −5.6 pp
2017 17.2 +0.1 pp
2016 17.1 +3.4 pp
2015 13.7
2004 9.3
1994 21.4

Western Asia, 2020

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.