Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted was 32.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 32.2% for proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 43.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.8%, in 2021.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 2nd out of 30 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.4% | — |
| 2001 | 43.1% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 42.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 42.4% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 41.9% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 41.4% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 40.1% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 39.3% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 38.4% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 37.5% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 36.7% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 36.0% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 35.4% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 34.8% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 34.3% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 33.8% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 32.8% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 32.3% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 31.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 31.8% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 31.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 32.0% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 32.2% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.4% | 38.4% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.7% | 32.3% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 31.8% | 32.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 1 Burundi 55.3% compare
- 1 Timor-Leste 45.4% compare
- 2 Democratic Republic of the Congo 44.1% compare
- 2 Niger 48.3% compare
- 3 Eritrea 48.0% compare
- 4 Angola 47.7% compare
- 5 Papua New Guinea 47.6% compare
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.9049 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Proportion of children moderately or severely stunted in Sub-Saharan Africa was 32.2% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest proportion of children moderately or severely stunted recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.8% in 2021.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for proportion of children moderately or severely stunted?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 30 groups with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of children moderately or severely stunted rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan 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.
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