Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 295,100 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
295,100
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
59th
of 162 countries
All-time high
344,500
in 2016
All-time low
236,900
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0100.0k200.0k300.0k2000201220242000: 236.9k2001: 237.4k2002: 241.1k2003: 246.8k2004: 254.8k2005: 265.6k2006: 278.0k2007: 290.6k2008: 301.7k2009: 311.8k2010: 320.1k2011: 326.2k2012: 331.6k2013: 337.0k2014: 341.6k2015: 344.4k2016: 344.5k2017: 341.0k2018: 333.0k2019: 322.7k2020: 311.8k2021: 299.3k2022: 292.4k2023: 291.5k2024: 295.1k

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 Saudi Arabia stood at 295,100.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 13.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia peaked at 344,500 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 236,900, in 2000.

That places Saudi Arabia 59th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 266,470 236,900 311,800 10
2010s 334,210 320,100 344,500 10
2020s 298,020 291,500 311,800 5

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 56 Turkey 304,500 compare
  2. 57 Uzbekistan 298,200 compare
  3. 58 Sierra Leone 295,600 compare
  4. 60 Iran 290,400 compare
  5. 61 Peru 285,200 compare
  6. 62 North Korea 283,200 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia was 295,100 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 344,500 in 2016.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 236,900 in 2000.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Saudi Arabia ranks 59th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.