Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa
Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 30.3 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa is 30.3 %, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa peaked at 40.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 29.8 %, in 2021.
Africa ranks 7th of 37 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40.8 % | — |
| 2001 | 40.6 % | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 40.3 % | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 40 % | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 39.6 % | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 39.1 % | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 38.6 % | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 38 % | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 37.2 % | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 36.4 % | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 35.6 % | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 34.8 % | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 34 % | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 33.4 % | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 32.8 % | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 32.2 % | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 31.7 % | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 31.2 % | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 30.6 % | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 30.2 % | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 29.9 % | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 29.8 % | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 29.9 % | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 30.1 % | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 30.3 % | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.06 % | 36.4 % | 40.8 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.65 % | 30.2 % | 35.6 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 30 % | 29.8 % | 30.3 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
- 4 Angola 47.7 % compare
- 5 Papua New Guinea 47.6 % compare
- 6 Lao People's Democratic Republic 29.9 % compare
- 6 United Republic of Tanzania 29.9 % compare
- 6 Yemen 47.4 % compare
- 7 Guatemala 44.6 % compare
- 8 Afghanistan 42 % compare
- 8 Syrian Arab Republic 23.5 % compare
- 9 Central African Republic 38.9 % compare
- 10 Madagascar 38.4 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Africa
- Oilcrops, Oil Equivalent — Area harvested, annual growth rate -1.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Milk, Total — Production, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Milk, Total — Milk Animals, annual growth rate 1.06 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Cake Equivalent — Area harvested, annual growth rate -1.7 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Cake Equivalent — Yield, annual growth rate -4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Oilcrops, Cake Equivalent — Production, annual growth rate -6.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Poultry Birds — Stocks, annual growth rate 3.96 % change on previous year (2024)
- Pulses, Total — Yield, annual growth rate 2.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Pulses, Total — Area harvested, annual growth rate -0.6343 % change on previous year (2024)
- Milk, Total — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate 1.5 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Africa was 30.3 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 40.8 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8 % in 2021.
- How does Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- Africa ranks 7th out of 37 groups with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Food Security Indicators presents the core set of food security indicators. Following the recommendation of experts gathered in the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Round Table on hunger measurement, hosted at FAO headquarters in September 2011, an initial set of indicators aiming to capture various aspects of food insecurity is presented here. The choice of the indicators has been informed by expert judgement and the availability of data with sufficient coverage to enable comparisons across regions and over time. Many of these indicators are produced and published elsewhere by FAO and other international organizations. They are reported here in a single database with the aim of building a wide food security information system. More indicators will be added to this set as more data will become available. Indicators are classified along the four dimensions of food security -- availability, access, utilization and stability.