Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in India
India: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 32.9 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in India, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
India recorded 32.9 % for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in India peaked at 50 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 32.8 %, in 2023.
That places India 19th out of 147 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 50 % | — |
| 2001 | 49.6 % | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 49.2 % | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 48.7 % | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 48.2 % | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 47.8 % | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 47.2 % | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 46.5 % | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.8 % | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 44.9 % | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 43.8 % | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 42.7 % | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 41.7 % | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 40.6 % | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 39.6 % | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 38.7 % | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 37.7 % | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 36.6 % | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 35.6 % | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 34.6 % | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 33.8 % | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 33.3 % | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 33 % | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 32.8 % | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 32.9 % | +0.3% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 32.9 % is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2 %, 1.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- India's 32.9 % is above the median for South Asia, which is 21.5 %, 1.5× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.79 % | 44.9 % | 50 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.16 % | 34.6 % | 43.8 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.16 % | 32.8 % | 33.8 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
- 16 Côte d'Ivoire 20.3 % compare
- 16 Pakistan 33.6 % compare
- 16 Polynesia 7 % compare
- 17 Benin 33.2 % compare
- 17 Malawi 33.2 % compare
- 17 Türkiye 5.5 % compare
- 18 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 4.8 % compare
- 19 Republic of Moldova 4.2 % compare
- 20 Zambia 32.3 % compare
- 21 Chad 31.5 % compare
- 22 Vanuatu 31 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 438.73 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4067 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6431 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in India?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in India was 32.9 % 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 50 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8 % in 2023.
- How does India rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- India ranks 19th out of 147 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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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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.