Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Mexico

Mexico: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 1.34 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.34 million
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
22nd
of 162 countries
All-time high
2.32 million
in 2000
All-time low
1.33 million
in 2021
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

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

The most recent figure for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Mexico is 1.34 million, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Mexico peaked at 2.32 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.33 million, in 2021.

Mexico ranks 22nd of 162 countries on this measure, 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 1.99 million 1.66 million 2.32 million 10
2010s 1.45 million 1.34 million 1.60 million 10
2020s 1.33 million 1.33 million 1.34 million 5

Countries ranked near Mexico

  1. 19 Egypt 1.52 million compare
  2. 20 South Africa 1.44 million compare
  3. 21 Vietnam 1.35 million compare
  4. 23 Kenya 1.27 million compare
  5. 24 Cameroon 1.21 million compare
  6. 25 Burundi 1.21 million compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Mexico

All data for Mexico →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Mexico?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Mexico was 1.34 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 Mexico?
The highest recorded value was 2.32 million in 2000.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Mexico?
The lowest recorded value was 1.33 million in 2021.
How does Mexico rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Mexico ranks 22nd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Mexico?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Mexico 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.