Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 17,000 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
17,000
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
113th
of 162 countries
All-time high
29,300
in 2004
All-time low
17,000
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria, 2000–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k2000201220242000: 28.6k2001: 28.4k2002: 28.6k2003: 29.2k2004: 29.3k2005: 29.2k2006: 29.2k2007: 29.2k2008: 29.1k2009: 28.7k2010: 27.9k2011: 26.7k2012: 25.3k2013: 24.1k2014: 23.2k2015: 22.6k2016: 21.7k2017: 20.9k2018: 20.1k2019: 19.3k2020: 18.3k2021: 17.6k2022: 17.2k2023: 17.1k2024: 17.0k

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 17,000 for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria peaked at 29,300 in 2004 and was at its lowest, 17,000, in 2024.

That places Bulgaria 113th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria, year by year

Annual values for Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria, 2000 to 2024.
Year Value Change
2000 28,600
2001 28,400 -0.7%
2002 28,600 +0.7%
2003 29,200 +2.1%
2004 29,300 +0.3%
2005 29,200 -0.3%
2006 29,200 +0.0%
2007 29,200 +0.0%
2008 29,100 -0.3%
2009 28,700 -1.4%
2010 27,900 -2.8%
2011 26,700 -4.3%
2012 25,300 -5.2%
2013 24,100 -4.7%
2014 23,200 -3.7%
2015 22,600 -2.6%
2016 21,700 -4.0%
2017 20,900 -3.7%
2018 20,100 -3.8%
2019 19,300 -4.0%
2020 18,300 -5.2%
2021 17,600 -3.8%
2022 17,200 -2.3%
2023 17,100 -0.6%
2024 17,000 -0.6%

Bulgaria compared with similar countries

  • Bulgaria's 17,000 is above the median for high income countries, which is 11,800, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • Bulgaria's 17,000 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 13,750, 1.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 28,950 28,400 29,300 10
2010s 23,180 19,300 27,900 10
2020s 17,440 17,000 18,300 5

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 110 Paraguay 21,600 compare
  2. 111 Comoros 20,000 compare
  3. 112 Poland 17,200 compare
  4. 114 Chile 16,000 compare
  5. 115 Belgium 14,800 compare
  6. 116 Netherlands 14,600 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria was 17,000 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 Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 29,300 in 2004.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 17,000 in 2024.
How does Bulgaria rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Bulgaria ranks 113th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Bulgaria 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.

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Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Bulgaria. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-children-stunted-who/bulgaria/

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,050 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

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.