Afghanistan vs China: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted
Afghanistan
2.85 million
in 2024
China
2.35 million
in 2024
Afghanistan rank
11th
China rank
14th
Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted over time
- Afghanistan
- China
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 2.85 million against 2.35 million in China, a difference of 499,000.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.2 times China's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 25 shared years of data; in 2000 it was China ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 11th and China ranks 14th of 162 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | China | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.41 million | 11.82 million | 9.41 million | China |
| 2010s | 2.46 million | 5.92 million | 3.46 million | China |
| 2020s | 2.73 million | 3.13 million | 400,820 | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher malnutrition: number of children who are stunted, Afghanistan or China?
- Afghanistan, at 2.85 million against 2.35 million in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in malnutrition: number of children who are stunted between Afghanistan and China?
- 499,000, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and China?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Afghanistan and China rank globally for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
- Afghanistan ranks 11th and China ranks 14th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The number of children younger than five who are stunted – significantly shorter than the average for their age, as a consequence of poor nutrition or repeated infection.