South Africa—Stunting, Children Under 5 (%)
South Africa's stunting, children under 5 (%) was 21.3% in 2017. This represents a -22.3% change from 2016. Over the past 4 years, the highest recorded value was 27.4% (2016) and the lowest was 21.2% (2015). Data sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators.
Historical Data
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21.3% | -22.3% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | +29.2% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | -15.2% |
| 2008 | 25.0% |
Top Countries — Stunting, Children Under 5 (%)
| # | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burundi | 52.8% | 2024 |
| 2 | Yemen, Rep. | 48.5% | 2022 |
| 3 | Niger | 47.7% | 2022 |
| 4 | Timor-Leste | 46.7% | 2020 |
| 5 | Guatemala | 46.0% | 2021 |
| 6 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 44.7% | 2023 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 44.6% | 2022 |
| 8 | Madagascar | 39.8% | 2021 |
| 9 | Central African Republic | 37.9% | 2022 |
| 10 | Mozambique | 36.7% | 2022 |
About This Indicator
Definition
Prevalence of stunting is the percentage of children under age 5 whose height for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. For children up to two years old height is measured by recumbent length. For older children height is measured by stature while standing. The data are based on the WHO's 2006 Child Growth Standards.
Methodology
Data compiled by UNICEF, WHO, World Bank: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME). Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology., UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), note: Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology; World Health Organization (WHO), note: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME); Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology; World Bank (WB), note: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME); Aggregation is based on UNICEF, WHO, and the World Bank harmonized dataset (adjusted, comparable data) and methodology.
Unit
% of children under 5