Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Australia
Australia: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 47,600 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Australia, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Australia stood at 47,600.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.3% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Australia peaked at 54,000 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 11,100, in 2000.
Australia ranks 97th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24,450 | 11,100 | 42,900 | 10 |
| 2010s | 51,130 | 46,300 | 54,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 46,260 | 45,500 | 47,600 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Australia?
- Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Australia was 47,600 in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 54,000 in 2015.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,100 in 2000.
- How does Australia rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
- Australia ranks 97th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.