Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Japan

Japan: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 207,500 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
207,500
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
70th
of 162 countries
All-time high
380,700
in 2005
All-time low
207,500
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k2000201220242000: 336.3k2001: 351.2k2002: 365.7k2003: 373.5k2004: 378.3k2005: 380.7k2006: 380.6k2007: 379.9k2008: 378.0k2009: 374.3k2010: 369.2k2011: 361.9k2012: 352.2k2013: 341.7k2014: 330.0k2015: 316.9k2016: 303.2k2017: 288.2k2018: 272.1k2019: 256.3k2020: 241.7k2021: 228.8k2022: 219.8k2023: 212.6k2024: 207.5k

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 Japan stood at 207,500. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 37.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Japan peaked at 380,700 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 207,500, in 2024.

That places Japan 70th 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 369,850 336,300 380,700 10
2010s 319,170 256,300 369,200 10
2020s 222,080 207,500 241,700 5

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 67 Laos 236,300 compare
  2. 68 Eritrea 224,400 compare
  3. 69 Liberia 210,100 compare
  4. 71 Honduras 204,400 compare
  5. 72 Mauritania 175,000 compare
  6. 73 Tajikistan 174,400 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Japan?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Japan was 207,500 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 380,700 in 2005.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 207,500 in 2024.
How does Japan rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Japan ranks 70th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan 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

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.