Stunting in children — all countries

Stunting in children — Zimbabwe

Stunting in children in Zimbabwe in 2024 — 25.9%. Ranked 4 in the world out of 6. Since 1988, the indicator has fallen by 5.1 pp.

2024 25.9% +2.4 pp vs 2019
World rank 4of 6
Period maximum 35.3%2005
Period minimum 23.5%2019

Trend over time

1988–2024 · % of children under 5

Stunting in children — Zimbabwe, 1988–2024202530354019881992199620002004200820122016202020241988: 31%1994: 28.9%1999: 33.8%2005: 35.3%2009: 35.1%2010: 32.2%2012: 30.5%2014: 27.6%2015: 27.1%2019: 23.5%2024: 25.9%
Change over the period: −5.1 pp Annual average: -0.14 pp
Stunting in children — Zimbabwe, by year Zimbabwe All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2024 25.9
2019 23.5
2015 27.1 −0.5 pp
2014 27.6
2012 30.5
2010 32.2 −2.9 pp
2009 35.1
2005 35.3
1999 33.8
1994 28.9
1988 31

Eastern Africa, 2024

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

ZW Zimbabwe 25.9 BI Burundi 52.8

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.