Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 24.1 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Southern 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 Southern Africa is 24.1 %, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Southern Africa peaked at 27.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.5 %, in 2018.
Southern Africa ranks 12th 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 Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 27.8 % | — |
| 2001 | 27.6 % | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 27.6 % | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 27.6 % | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 27.5 % | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 27.3 % | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 27 % | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 26.3 % | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 25.6 % | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 24.9 % | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 24.1 % | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 23.5 % | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 23.2 % | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 23 % | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.9 % | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 22.8 % | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 22.7 % | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 22.6 % | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 22.5 % | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 22.5 % | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 22.6 % | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 22.9 % | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 23.3 % | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 23.7 % | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 24.1 % | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.92 % | 24.9 % | 27.8 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.98 % | 22.5 % | 24.1 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.32 % | 22.6 % | 24.1 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 9 Central African Republic 38.9 % compare
- 10 Madagascar 38.4 % compare
- 11 Mozambique 37 % compare
- 11 Viet Nam 19.2 % compare
- 12 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 16.6 % compare
- 12 Ethiopia 35.5 % compare
- 13 Sudan 35.4 % compare
- 13 Micronesia 13.6 % compare
- 14 Lesotho 35 % compare
- 14 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 11.7 % compare
- 15 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 10.7 % compare
- 15 Nigeria 33.8 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Southern Africa
- Cattle and Buffaloes — Stocks, annual growth rate -2.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Eggs Primary — Yield/Carcass Weight, annual growth rate -9.64 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Production, annual growth rate 1.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Yield, annual growth rate 1.8 % change on previous year (2024)
- Citrus Fruit, Total — Area harvested, annual growth rate -0.2717 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Production, annual growth rate -19.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Yield, annual growth rate -18.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Cereals, primary — Area harvested, annual growth rate -1.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep — Stocks, annual growth rate -1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sheep fat, unrendered — Production, annual growth rate 7.96 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Southern Africa?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Southern Africa was 24.1 % 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 Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.5 % in 2018.
- How does Southern Africa rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- Southern Africa ranks 12th 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 Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Southern 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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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.