United States · Child Stunting, Under 5 (survey, %)

3.8%2022

Publisher note: United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey August 2021- August 2023. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Unit: percent of children under age 5. Publisher measure: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% height-for-age <-2 SD), survey-based estimates.

Height-for-age below -2 SD, WHO country-level survey estimates, both sexes, no additional disaggregation; not model-based annual interpolation. Reference years are irregular survey labels; fieldwork windows were not supplied by the retained projection. Matching year labels do not prove matching collection periods.

Measurement basis: survey-based estimate; reference years are irregular.

Reference-period cadence: irregular survey reference years.

Displayed values are rounded, with extra precision when needed to keep a positive estimate positive. Downloads retain the full numeric estimate and the publisher's original display text separately.

A “<” sign means strictly below the stated number. Numeric readings and uncertainty endpoints keep their own comparison signs. A number without a sign does not establish certainty or an observed outcome.

World Health Organization (Global Health Observatory); retrieved 2026-09-07. Retrieval time is separate from an official publisher release vintage.

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One row per country, indicator and year, with raw values, source links and reuse notices. Thresholds have an empty numeric value and separate number/operator fields; value_kind distinguishes upper bounds from absent readings.

History and uncertainty

Charts plot numeric readings. Reported upper bounds create gaps; their values, uncertainty endpoints and source notes remain available in the table and downloads.

Reported estimates and uncertainty · 12 rows

Each comparison sign applies to its own reading or uncertainty endpoint. Values retain source precision. “Not reported” identifies an absent reading or uncertainty endpoint in this source capture.

Reported estimates and independently qualified uncertainty endpoints
Country	Year	Reading	Lower endpoint	Upper endpoint	Publisher note
United States	1991	3.1	2.5	3.9	Third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988-94 (NHANES III). Vital Health Statistics 1994;32:1-2 Alternate age range
United States	2000	3.2	2.2	4.5	United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
United States	2002	3.1	2	4.6	United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2002. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
United States	2004	2.9	1.7	4.5	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2003-04]
United States	2006	3.1	1.6	5.4	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2005-06]
United States	2008	2.3	1.6	3.2	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2007-08]
United States	2010	2.8	1.6	4.5	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2009-10]
United States	2012	2.2	1.2	3.6	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2011-12]
United States	2014	2.4	1.5	3.7	National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, [2013-14]
United States	2016	3.5	2.5	4.9	United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2016. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
United States	2018	3.4	2	5.4	United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017-2018. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
United States	2022	3.8	2	6.6	United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey August 2021- August 2023. Hyattsville, United States: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)