Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Zambia
Zambia: Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) was 32.3 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Zambia, 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 Zambia is 32.3 %, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Zambia peaked at 52.1 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.6 %, in 2021.
Zambia ranks 20th of 147 countries on this measure, 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 Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.1 % | — |
| 2001 | 52 % | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 51.8 % | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 51.2 % | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 50.5 % | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 49.7 % | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 48.8 % | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 47.7 % | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 46.4 % | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 45 % | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 43.6 % | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 42.1 % | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 40.8 % | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 39.6 % | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 38.6 % | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 37.7 % | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 36.5 % | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 35.2 % | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 33.9 % | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 32.8 % | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 32 % | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 31.6 % | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 31.8 % | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 32 % | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 32.3 % | +0.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 32.3 % is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2 %, 1.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 32.3 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8 %, 1.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.52 % | 45 % | 52.1 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.08 % | 32.8 % | 43.6 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.94 % | 31.6 % | 32.3 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 17 Benin 33.2 % compare
- 17 Malawi 33.2 % compare
- 17 Türkiye 5.5 % compare
- 18 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 4.8 % compare
- 19 India 32.9 % compare
- 19 Republic of Moldova 4.2 % compare
- 21 Chad 31.5 % compare
- 22 Vanuatu 31 % compare
- 23 Marshall Islands 30 % compare
- 23 South Sudan 30 % compare
- 23 Caribbean 12.2 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Zambia?
- Percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) in Zambia was 32.3 % 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.1 % in 2000.
- What is the lowest percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled) recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.6 % in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for percentage of children under 5 years of age who are stunted (modelled)?
- Zambia ranks 20th 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 Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia 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.