Mauritius's prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) was 7.8% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.3 percentage points from 8.1% in 2014.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 7.8% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 7.8% | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 8.1% | 2014 |
| Highest | 12.4% | 2000 |
| Lowest | 7.7% | 2021 |
| Average since 2015 | 7.85% | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 12.4% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Mauritius' prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) did not change 0 percentage points on 2023 (from 7.8% to 7.8%).
Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was −0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.19 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 0.1 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.6 percentage points in 2004. 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 0.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 68% 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, Mauritius had the 106th 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | 7.8% | 2024 |
| World | 23.2% | 2024 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 32.29% | 2024 |
| Upper middle income | 10.82% | 2024 |
Closest to Mauritius in the 2024 ranking
- Suriname — 103rd of 162: 8%
- West Bank and Gaza — 104th of 162: 8%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 105th of 162: 7.9%
- Trinidad and Tobago — 107th of 162: 7.8%
- Jordan — 108th of 162: 7.7%
- Albania — 109th of 162: 7.4%
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
| Year | Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 7.8 |
| 2023 | 7.8 |
| 2022 | 7.7 |
| 2021 | 7.7 |
| 2020 | 7.8 |
| 2019 | 7.8 |
| 2018 | 7.9 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2014 |
Prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5) in nearby economies
- Angola — 47.7% (2024)
- Benin — 33.2% (2024)
- Botswana — 21% (2024)
- Burkina Faso — 19.5% (2024)
- Burundi — 55.3% (2024)
- Cabo Verde — 5.3% (2024)
- Cameroon — 27.2% (2024)
- Central African Republic — 38.9% (2024)
More health data for Mauritius
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.63% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.64% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 91,237 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 14.63% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 89,567 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 14.44% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 180,804 (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 14.54% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4.8% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Mauritius's prevalence of stunting, height for age (modeled estimate, % of children under 5)?
- 7.8% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 4.6 percentage points from 12.4% in 2000. The highest value was 12.4% in 2000 and the lowest 7.7% in 2021.
- How does Mauritius rank?
- 106th 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 Mauritius?
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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