27 Percent of Indonesian Infants Suffer from Stunting

In 2016, the Ministry of Health conducted a Nutritional Status Monitoring. The survey revealed that 27.5 percent of Indonesian children under five (under-five children) experienced stunting (height below standard/short) based on the Height-for-Age (HFA) index. This comprised 8.5 percent of very short children and 19 percent of short children. Meanwhile, 72.5 percent of children aged 0-59 months had normal nutrition.

The province with the highest percentage of children experiencing stunting was West Sulawesi, reaching 39.7 percent. This comprised 14.7 percent very short children and 25 percent short children. Conversely, the province with the lowest percentage of stunting was Bali, at only 19.7 percent, consisting of 5.2 percent very short children and 14.5 percent short children.