Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted
Sierra Leone
25.2 percent
in 2024
South Africa
24.4 percent
in 2024
Sierra Leone rank
37th
South Africa rank
40th
Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted over time
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
How they compare
Sierra Leone currently reports 25.2 percent against 24.4 percent in South Africa, a difference of 0.8 percent.
Across all 25 years both countries report, Sierra Leone has been ahead every year.
Sierra Leone ranks 37th and South Africa ranks 40th of 160 countries.
Sierra Leone has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sierra Leone | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 37.91 percent | 25.74 percent | 12.17 percent | Sierra Leone |
| 2010s | 31.3 percent | 22.32 percent | 8.98 percent | Sierra Leone |
| 2020s | 25.58 percent | 23.44 percent | 2.14 percent | Sierra Leone |
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, Sierra Leone or South Africa?
- Sierra Leone, at 25.2 percent against 24.4 percent in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted between Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 0.8 percent, with Sierra Leone ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted?
- Sierra Leone ranks 37th 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.