Malaysia vs South Africa: Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted
Malaysia
24.3 percent
in 2024
South Africa
24.4 percent
in 2024
Malaysia rank
41st
South Africa rank
40th
Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted over time
- Malaysia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 24.4 percent against 24.3 percent in Malaysia, a difference of 0.1 percent.
Across all 25 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
Malaysia ranks 41st and South Africa ranks 40th of 160 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18.42 percent | 25.74 percent | 7.32 percent | South Africa |
| 2010s | 19.32 percent | 22.32 percent | 3 percent | South Africa |
| 2020s | 22.96 percent | 23.44 percent | 0.48 percent | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted, Malaysia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 24.4 percent against 24.3 percent in Malaysia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted between Malaysia and South Africa?
- 0.1 percent, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Malaysia and South Africa rank globally for share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted?
- Malaysia ranks 41st and South Africa ranks 40th of 160 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population undernourished vs. share 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
Childhood stunting is the share of children younger than five years that are stunted, which means they are two standard deviations below the median height-for-age of the WHO's Child Growth Standards. Undernourishment is when a person's daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.