Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa
Africa: Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted was 30.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
In 2024, proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa stood at 30.3%.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa peaked at 40.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2021.
That places Africa 5th out of 30 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40.8% | — |
| 2001 | 40.6% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 40.3% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 40.0% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 39.6% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 39.1% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 38.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 38.0% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 37.2% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 36.4% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 35.6% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 34.0% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 33.4% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 32.8% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 32.2% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 31.7% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 30.2% | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 29.9% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 29.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 30.1% | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 30.3% | +0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.1% | 36.4% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.6% | 30.2% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.0% | 29.8% | 30.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa
More infrastructure data for Africa
- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight 4.5% (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 3 doses of 76.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.9% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.6% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.7% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 1.8% (2024)
- Total official flows for infrastructure, by recipient countries 17,916 (2024)
- Total reserves in months of imports 8.09 (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 57.0% (2024)
- Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction 28.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa?
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Africa was 30.3% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 40.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2021.
- How does Africa rank for proportion of children moderately or severely stunted?
- Africa ranks 5th out of 30 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted rising or falling in Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).