Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Kenya

Kenya: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 1.27 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.27 million
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
23rd
of 162 countries
All-time high
2.31 million
in 2007
All-time low
1.27 million
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M2000201220242000: 2.0M2001: 2.1M2002: 2.2M2003: 2.2M2004: 2.3M2005: 2.3M2006: 2.3M2007: 2.3M2008: 2.3M2009: 2.3M2010: 2.2M2011: 2.1M2012: 2.1M2013: 2.0M2014: 1.9M2015: 1.8M2016: 1.7M2017: 1.6M2018: 1.5M2019: 1.5M2020: 1.4M2021: 1.3M2022: 1.3M2023: 1.3M2024: 1.3M

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 Kenya stood at 1.27 million. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Kenya peaked at 2.31 million in 2007 and was at its lowest, 1.27 million, in 2024.

That places Kenya 23rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.23 million 2.05 million 2.31 million 10
2010s 1.83 million 1.45 million 2.22 million 10
2020s 1.32 million 1.27 million 1.39 million 5

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 20 South Africa 1.44 million compare
  2. 21 Vietnam 1.35 million compare
  3. 22 Mexico 1.34 million compare
  4. 24 Cameroon 1.21 million compare
  5. 25 Burundi 1.21 million compare
  6. 26 Brazil 1.16 million compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Kenya?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Kenya was 1.27 million 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 Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 2.31 million in 2007.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 1.27 million in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Kenya ranks 23rd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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.