Maldives: Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Maldives' prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) rose 0.2 percentage points on 2023 (from 14% to 14.2%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −0.86 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.72 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.2 percentage points in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.1 percentage points in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.17 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 79% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Maldives had the 71st highest value of the 162 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Maldives in the 2024 ranking

• Naoero — 68th of 162: 16%
• Ghana — 69th of 162: 15.6%
• Kiribati — 70th of 162: 14.7%
• Gambia, The — 72nd of 162: 14%
• Panama — 73rd of 162: 14%
• Gabon — 74th of 162: 13.7%

What this measures

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.

Limitations: Survey estimates come with levels of uncertainty due to both sampling error and non-sampling error (e.g., measurement technical error, recording error etc.,). The JME global estimates take into account estimates of sampling error around survey estimates. While non-sampling error cannot be accounted for or reviewed in full, when available, a data quality review of weight, height and age measurements from household surveys supports compilation of a time series that is comparable across countries and over time.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 25.1% (2024)
• Bhutan — 17.9% (2024)
• India — 32.9% (2024)
• Nepal — 26% (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 10.1% (2024)

More health data for Maldives

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 6.89% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.53% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 47,515 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 23.43% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 53,317 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.31% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 100,832 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 19.04% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 7.77% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Maldives's prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)?

14.2% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 19.6 percentage points from 33.8% in 2000. The highest value was 33.8% in 2000 and the lowest 13.9% in 2021.

How does Maldives rank?

71st highest of 162 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) unusual for Maldives?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.STNT.ME.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/joint-child-malnutrition-estimates-unicef-who-wb, publisher: JME; World Health Organization (WHO), uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/joint-child-malnutrition… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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