Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 10.1 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Sri Lanka, 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 Sri Lanka is 10.1 %, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Sri Lanka peaked at 19.8 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 10.1 %, in 2024.
That places Sri Lanka 81st 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.8 % | — |
| 2001 | 19.7 % | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 19.6 % | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 19.5 % | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 19.4 % | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 19.2 % | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 19 % | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 18.6 % | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 18.2 % | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 17.7 % | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 17.2 % | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 16.6 % | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 15.9 % | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 15.3 % | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 14.6 % | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 14 % | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 13.3 % | -5.0% |
| 2017 | 12.7 % | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 12.1 % | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 11.6 % | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 11.1 % | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 10.8 % | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 10.5 % | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 10.2 % | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 10.1 % | -1.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 10.1 % is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.4 %, 1.2× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 10.1 % is below the median for South Asia, which is 21.5 %, 47% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.07 % | 17.7 % | 19.8 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.33 % | 11.6 % | 17.2 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.54 % | 10.1 % | 11.1 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 78 Argentina 10.7 % compare
- 79 Costa Rica 10.6 % compare
- 79 Peru 10.6 % compare
- 81 Lebanon 10.1 % compare
- 83 Sao Tome and Principe 10 % compare
- 84 Brunei Darussalam 9.9 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Sri Lanka?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Sri Lanka was 10.1 % 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 19.8 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1 % in 2024.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- Sri Lanka ranks 81st 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 Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.