Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Nepal

Nepal: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 719,300 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
719,300
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
37th
of 162 countries
All-time high
2.02 million
in 2000
All-time low
719,300
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2000201220242000: 2.0M2001: 2.0M2002: 1.9M2003: 1.8M2004: 1.8M2005: 1.7M2006: 1.6M2007: 1.5M2008: 1.5M2009: 1.4M2010: 1.3M2011: 1.2M2012: 1.2M2013: 1.1M2014: 1.1M2015: 1.0M2016: 1.0M2017: 958.4k2018: 907.6k2019: 855.3k2020: 807.8k2021: 774.5k2022: 755.1k2023: 735.0k2024: 719.3k

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 Nepal is 719,300, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 34.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Nepal peaked at 2.02 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 719,300, in 2024.

Nepal ranks 37th 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 1.72 million 1.38 million 2.02 million 10
2010s 1.08 million 855,300 1.31 million 10
2020s 758,340 719,300 807,800 5

Countries ranked near Nepal

  1. 34 Guatemala 828,500 compare
  2. 35 United States 780,800 compare
  3. 36 Benin 731,100 compare
  4. 38 Ghana 661,900 compare
  5. 39 Burkina Faso 656,600 compare
  6. 40 Guinea 591,300 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Nepal

All data for Nepal →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Nepal?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Nepal was 719,300 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 Nepal?
The highest recorded value was 2.02 million in 2000.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Nepal?
The lowest recorded value was 719,300 in 2024.
How does Nepal rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Nepal ranks 37th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Nepal?
Over the last ten years it is down 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nepal 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.