India - Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5)

Prevalence of stunting, height for age (% of children under 5) in India was 34.70 as of 2017. Its highest value over the past 28 years was 62.70 in 1989, while its lowest value was 34.70 in 2017.

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 new child growth standards released in 2006.

Source: 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.

See also:

Year Value
1989 62.70
1991 61.90
1992 57.70
1997 45.90
1999 54.20
2006 47.80
2014 38.70
2015 37.90
2017 34.70

Aggregation method: Linear mixed-effect model estimates

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Undernourished children have lower resistance to infection and are more likely to die from common childhood ailments such as diarrheal diseases and respiratory infections. Frequent illness saps the nutritional status of those who survive, locking them int

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Nutrition