Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America

Central America: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 17.2 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
17.2 %
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
20th
of 37 groups
All-time high
25.3 %
in 2000
All-time low
17 %
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 25.3 %2001: 24.8 %2002: 24.2 %2003: 23.6 %2004: 22.9 %2005: 22.4 %2006: 21.8 %2007: 21.2 %2008: 20.6 %2009: 19.9 %2010: 19.2 %2011: 18.6 %2012: 18.1 %2013: 17.8 %2014: 17.6 %2015: 17.5 %2016: 17.5 %2017: 17.3 %2018: 17.3 %2019: 17.2 %2020: 17 %2021: 17 %2022: 17.1 %2023: 17.1 %2024: 17.2 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America stood at 17.2 %.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America peaked at 25.3 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17 %, in 2020.

Central America ranks 20th of 37 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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 Central America, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value in Central America, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 25.3 %
2001 24.8 % -2.0%
2002 24.2 % -2.4%
2003 23.6 % -2.5%
2004 22.9 % -3.0%
2005 22.4 % -2.2%
2006 21.8 % -2.7%
2007 21.2 % -2.8%
2008 20.6 % -2.8%
2009 19.9 % -3.4%
2010 19.2 % -3.5%
2011 18.6 % -3.1%
2012 18.1 % -2.7%
2013 17.8 % -1.7%
2014 17.6 % -1.1%
2015 17.5 % -0.6%
2016 17.5 % +0.0%
2017 17.3 % -1.1%
2018 17.3 % +0.0%
2019 17.2 % -0.6%
2020 17 % -1.2%
2021 17 % +0.0%
2022 17.1 % +0.6%
2023 17.1 % +0.0%
2024 17.2 % +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.67 % 19.9 % 25.3 % 10
2010s 17.81 % 17.2 % 19.2 % 10
2020s 17.08 % 17 % 17.2 % 5

Countries ranked near Central America

  1. 17 Benin 33.2 % compare
  2. 17 Malawi 33.2 % compare
  3. 17 Türkiye 5.5 % compare
  4. 18 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 4.8 % compare
  5. 19 India 32.9 % compare
  6. 19 Republic of Moldova 4.2 % compare
  7. 20 Zambia 32.3 % compare
  8. 21 Chad 31.5 % compare
  9. 22 Vanuatu 31 % compare
  10. 23 Marshall Islands 30 % compare
  11. 23 South Sudan 30 % compare
  12. 23 Caribbean 12.2 % compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Central America

All data for Central America →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America?
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America was 17.2 % 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 Central America?
The highest recorded value was 25.3 % in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Central America?
The lowest recorded value was 17 % in 2020.
How does Central America rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
Central America ranks 20th 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 Central America?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Central America 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.

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Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Central America. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-of-age-who-are-stunted-modelled-estimates-percent/central-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
203 places, 5,075 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.