Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Kenya
Kenya: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 17.9 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 17.9 %, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 32.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Kenya peaked at 38.6 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.9 %, in 2024.
That places Kenya 51st out of 147 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 38.6 % | — |
| 2001 | 38.5 % | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 38.5 % | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 38.2 % | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 37.8 % | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 37.3 % | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 36.7 % | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 35.7 % | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 34.6 % | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 33.3 % | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 31.9 % | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 30.4 % | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 29 % | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 27.7 % | -4.5% |
| 2014 | 26.5 % | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 25.4 % | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 24.3 % | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 23.1 % | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 22 % | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 20.9 % | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 20 % | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 19.2 % | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 18.7 % | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 18.2 % | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 17.9 % | -1.6% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 17.9 % is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2 %, 84% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 17.9 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8 %, 72% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.92 % | 33.3 % | 38.6 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.12 % | 20.9 % | 31.9 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.8 % | 17.9 % | 20 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.6779 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 12.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Kenya?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Kenya was 17.9 % 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9 % in 2024.
- How does Kenya rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- Kenya ranks 51st 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 Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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
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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.