Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Northern Africa

Northern Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 18.1 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
18.1 %
Change on year
up 0.6%
Rank
17th
of 37 groups
All-time high
27.4 %
in 2000
All-time low
17.9 %
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

01020302000201220242000: 27.4 %2001: 27.2 %2002: 27 %2003: 26.8 %2004: 26.5 %2005: 26.3 %2006: 26 %2007: 25.7 %2008: 25.4 %2009: 25 %2010: 24.6 %2011: 23.9 %2012: 23.1 %2013: 22.2 %2014: 21.4 %2015: 20.6 %2016: 20 %2017: 19.3 %2018: 18.8 %2019: 18.3 %2020: 18 %2021: 17.9 %2022: 17.9 %2023: 18 %2024: 18.1 %

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 Northern Africa stood at 18.1 %.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Northern Africa peaked at 27.4 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 17.9 %, in 2021.

That places Northern Africa 17th out of 37 groups 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 Northern Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled estimates) (percent) — Value in Northern Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 27.4 %
2001 27.2 % -0.7%
2002 27 % -0.7%
2003 26.8 % -0.7%
2004 26.5 % -1.1%
2005 26.3 % -0.8%
2006 26 % -1.1%
2007 25.7 % -1.2%
2008 25.4 % -1.2%
2009 25 % -1.6%
2010 24.6 % -1.6%
2011 23.9 % -2.8%
2012 23.1 % -3.3%
2013 22.2 % -3.9%
2014 21.4 % -3.6%
2015 20.6 % -3.7%
2016 20 % -2.9%
2017 19.3 % -3.5%
2018 18.8 % -2.6%
2019 18.3 % -2.7%
2020 18 % -1.6%
2021 17.9 % -0.6%
2022 17.9 % +0.0%
2023 18 % +0.6%
2024 18.1 % +0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 26.33 % 25 % 27.4 % 10
2010s 21.22 % 18.3 % 24.6 % 10
2020s 17.98 % 17.9 % 18.1 % 5

Countries ranked near Northern Africa

  1. 14 Lesotho 35 % compare
  2. 14 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 11.7 % compare
  3. 15 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 10.7 % compare
  4. 15 Nigeria 33.8 % compare
  5. 16 Côte d'Ivoire 20.3 % compare
  6. 16 Pakistan 33.6 % compare
  7. 16 Polynesia 7 % compare
  8. 17 Benin 33.2 % compare
  9. 17 Malawi 33.2 % compare
  10. 17 Türkiye 5.5 % compare
  11. 18 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 4.8 % compare
  12. 19 India 32.9 % compare
  13. 19 Republic of Moldova 4.2 % compare
  14. 20 Zambia 32.3 % compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Northern Africa

All data for Northern Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Northern Africa?
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Northern Africa was 18.1 % 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 Northern Africa?
The highest recorded value was 27.4 % in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Northern Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 17.9 % in 2021.
How does Northern Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
Northern Africa ranks 17th 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 Northern Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Northern 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.

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Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Northern Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-children-under-5-years-of-age-who-are-stunted-modelled-estimates-percent/northern-africa/

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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.