Global Stunting Rates Decline, but Unevenly

The world has seen positive improvements in handling stunting over the past 20 years. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that the number of children under five suffering from stunting was 149.2 million in 2020, a 26.7% decrease compared to 2000, which reached 203.6 million.

However, progress in handling stunting has not been even across all regions. The number of under-five children suffering from stunting in West and Central Africa still increased by 28.5% from 22.8 million in 2000 to 29.3 million in 2020.

East and Southern Africa experienced a similar situation. The number of under-five children experiencing stunting rose by 1.4% from 27.6 million in 2000 to 28 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, the highest decrease in the number of under-five children suffering from stunting came from East Asia and the Pacific. This region recorded 20.7 million under-five children suffering from stunting last year, a 49.75% decrease from 2000, which reached 41.2 million.

The number of under-five children suffering from stunting in Eastern Europe and Central Asia decreased by 46.8% from 4.7 million in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2020. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of under-five children suffering from stunting fell by 43.13% from 10.2 million in 2000 to 5.8 million last year.

Furthermore, the number of under-five children suffering from stunting in South Asia decreased by 38% from 86.8 million in 2000 to 53.8 million in 2020. Meanwhile, the number of under-five children suffering from stunting in the Middle East and North Africa fell by 14.4% from 9 million in 2000 to 7.7 million last year.