North Korea vs Vietnam: Share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities
North Korea
19.1%
in 2017
Vietnam
18.2%
in 2023
North Korea rank
47th
Vietnam rank
49th
Share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities over time
- North Korea
- Vietnam
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 19.1% against 18.2% in Vietnam, a difference of 0.9%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 7 shared years of data; in 1998 it was North Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 47th and Vietnam ranks 49th of 97 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 2 and Vietnam in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.9% | 42.1% | 21.8% | North Korea |
| 2000s | 42.8% | 35.9% | 6.9% | North Korea |
| 2010s | 23.5% | 25.2% | 1.8% | Vietnam |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities, North Korea or Vietnam?
- North Korea, at 19.1% against 18.2% in Vietnam as of 2017.
- What is the difference in share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities between North Korea and Vietnam?
- 0.9%, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Vietnam?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1998 to 2017.
- How do North Korea and Vietnam rank globally for share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities?
- North Korea ranks 47th and Vietnam ranks 49th of 97 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who are stunted vs. improved sanitation facilities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
A child is defined as stunted if their height-for-age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population ages 0-59 months. Improved sanitation facilities are those designed to separate excreta from human contact hygienically.