Countries by Prevalence of stunting, height for age, male (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)

Ranking 2024

Values shown in %.

Analysis

This metric measures the modeled prevalence of stunting, defined as low height for age, among male children under 5 years old, expressed as a percentage. Values are modeled estimates drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator code SH.STA.STNT.ME.MA.ZS), with data attributed to the year 2024. The dataset covers 162 countries, all of which have data from within the last 7 years, giving 100% recency coverage against a threshold of 80 countries minimum. All 162 datapoints are classified as official quality, exceeding the 70% threshold. No extreme outliers were identified using a 3-sigma test, and average year-over-year change was 2.4%, well below the 50% volatility threshold. The ranking is structured so that higher values indicate higher stunting prevalence; a lower rank number corresponds to a worse outcome for child growth.

The top of the ranking is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and the Pacific. Burundi leads at 58.5%, followed by Eritrea at 51.1%, Niger at 50.8%, and Angola at 50.5%. Papua New Guinea ranks 5th at 48.9%, and Yemen ranks 6th at 48.4%. Guatemala at 47.2% (rank 7) is the highest-placed country in the Americas. Congo, Dem. Rep. and Timor-Leste both sit at 47.0% (rank 8). Afghanistan ranks 10th at 42.7%. These ten countries all exceed 42%, placing them well above the dataset's median range.

Mid-ranking countries show considerable geographic diversity. India ranks 22nd at 34.0% and Pakistan ranks 21st at 34.5%, placing two of the world's most populous countries in the upper quarter of the distribution. Malaysia appears at rank 42 with 25.7%, alongside Bangladesh and Somalia at the same value and rank. A notable anomaly is South Africa at rank 37 with 27.0%, sharing that position with Nepal. In the lower half, European and high-income countries cluster near the bottom: Germany ranks 150th at 2.5%, South Korea ranks 153rd at 2.0%, and Estonia ranks 160th at 1.5%. Belarus at 1.2% (rank 161) and Poland at 1.1% (rank 162) record the two lowest values in the dataset.

Several data limitations apply to this metric. The estimates are modeled rather than directly measured, meaning values are derived from statistical models that may smooth or adjust underlying survey data. Countries without recent nationally representative surveys may have estimates based on older data or regional trends. The metric covers only male children under 5 and does not represent female children or older age groups, limiting conclusions about overall childhood nutrition. Stunting reflects chronic undernutrition but does not capture acute malnutrition or other growth-related health conditions. Cross-country comparability can be affected by differences in survey methodology, sample size, and the frequency of underlying data collection.

Methodology

Data are drawn from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SH.STA.STNT.ME.MA.ZS, with a reference year of 2024. The metric reports modeled estimates of the prevalence of stunting, height for age, among male children under 5, expressed as a percentage. The dataset covers 162 countries, all above the minimum coverage threshold of 80. All 162 countries (100%) have data from within the last 7 years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official quality against a 70% threshold. No extreme outliers were detected at the 3-sigma level, and average year-over-year change across the dataset was 2.4%, far below the 50% volatility threshold. Values range from 1.1% (Poland) to 58.5% (Burundi), a spread of 5,218.2%. Because these are modeled estimates, they may not correspond directly to single-year survey measurements and should be interpreted with that limitation in mind.

Sources

• World Bank