Is child stunting falling?
As of 2024, child stunting (under 5) is 23.2%: −9.9 pts since 2000.
Why it changed
Better access to food, healthcare, and clean water cut the share of children under 5 with stunting — chronic malnutrition reflected in low height-for-age — from about 33% in 2000 to 23.2% in 2024. But the picture isn't finished — that’s the highest reading in four years: after bottoming out at 22.4% in 2020-2021, the rate has crept back up, and roughly 150 million children worldwide are still affected by it.
Source · UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group (Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates) CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates, via WHO Global Health Observatory) Last reviewed 2026-07-07
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What is the source for this number?
UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group (Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates). Last reviewed 2026-07-07 — CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Group Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates, via WHO Global Health Observatory).
How has this changed since 2000?
−9.9 pts since 2000. As of 2024, child stunting (under 5) stands at 23.2%.
What still isn't solved?
That’s the highest reading in four years: after bottoming out at 22.4% in 2020-2021, the rate has crept back up, and roughly 150 million children worldwide are still affected by it.