Childhood stunting rates in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Childhood stunting rates was 45.4% in 2015. ▼ Falling

Latest (2015)
45.4%
World rank
1st
of 34 countries
All-time high
75.3%
in 1985
All-time low
45.4%
in 2015
Years of data
5
1965–2015

Childhood stunting rates in Ethiopia, 1965–2015

0204060801965199020151965: 59.6 %1985: 75.3 %1995: 66 %2005: 55.2 %2015: 45.4 %

Source: Schneider et al. (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 45.4% for childhood stunting rates in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, childhood stunting rates in Ethiopia peaked at 75.3% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 45.4%, in 2015.

Ethiopia ranks 1st of 34 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 59.6% 59.6% 59.6% 1
1980s 75.3% 75.3% 75.3% 1
1990s 66.0% 66.0% 66.0% 1
2000s 55.2% 55.2% 55.2% 1
2010s 45.4% 45.4% 45.4% 1

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 2 Malawi 40.7% compare
  2. 3 India 40.6% compare
  3. 4 Philippines 37.6% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is childhood stunting rates in Ethiopia?
Childhood stunting rates in Ethiopia was 45.4% in 2015, according to Schneider et al. (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest childhood stunting rates recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 75.3% in 1985.
What is the lowest childhood stunting rates recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 45.4% in 2015.
How does Ethiopia rank for childhood stunting rates?
Ethiopia ranks 1st out of 34 countries with data for 2015.
Is childhood stunting rates rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from Schneider et al. (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Childhood stunting rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Childhood stunting rates
Unit
%
Source
Schneider et al. (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 204 data points, 1895–2015
Last refreshed

Share of children between 2 and 10 years old who are stunted, so shorter than would be expected for their age. Stunting is a sign of long-term malnutrition or poor health in early childhood.