Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted (%) in Southern Asia
Southern Asia: Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted (%) was 31.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Southern Asia, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in per pop u5.
Analysis
Southern Asia recorded 31.4% for proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Southern Asia peaked at 48.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.4%, in 2023.
That places Southern Asia 5th out of 32 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 Southern Asia, year by year
| Year | per pop u5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 48.2% | — |
| 2001 | 47.8% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 47.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 47.0% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 46.6% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 46.1% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 45.6% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 44.9% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 44.1% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 43.3% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 42.3% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 41.2% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 40.2% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 39.3% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 38.3% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 37.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 36.3% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 35.2% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 34.2% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 33.2% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 32.4% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 31.8% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 31.5% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 31.4% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 31.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 46.1% | 43.3% | 48.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.8% | 33.2% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.7% | 31.4% | 32.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Southern Asia
- 2 Niger 48.3% compare
- 3 Eritrea 48.0% compare
- 4 Angola 47.7% compare
- 5 Papua New Guinea 47.6% compare
- 6 Yemen 47.4% compare
- 7 Timor-Leste 45.4% compare
- 7 East Timor 45.4% compare
More infrastructure data for Southern Asia
- Proportion of children moderately or severely overweight 3.2% (2024)
- Proportion of the target population who received 3 doses of 92.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 3.8% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 2.7% (2024)
- Proportion of population practicing open defecation, by urban/rural 6.2% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 4.0% (2024)
- Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global 4.7% (2024)
- Total official flows for infrastructure, by recipient countries 17,508 million constant US$ (2024)
- Total reserves in months of imports 7.21 ratio (2024)
- Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction 20.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Southern Asia?
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Southern Asia was 31.4% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Southern Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Southern Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.4% in 2023.
- How does Southern Asia rank for proportion of children moderately or severely stunted?
- Southern Asia ranks 5th out of 32 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted rising or falling in Southern Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Southern Asia 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.
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