Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia
Zambia: Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted was 32.3 percent in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia, 2000–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia stood at 32.3 percent.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia peaked at 52.1 percent in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.6 percent, in 2021.
That places Zambia 22nd out of 160 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.
Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.1 percent | — |
| 2001 | 52 percent | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 51.8 percent | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 51.2 percent | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 50.5 percent | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 49.7 percent | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 48.8 percent | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 47.7 percent | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 46.4 percent | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 45 percent | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 43.6 percent | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 42.1 percent | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 40.8 percent | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 39.6 percent | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 38.6 percent | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 37.7 percent | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 36.5 percent | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 35.2 percent | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 33.9 percent | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 32.8 percent | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 32 percent | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 31.6 percent | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 31.8 percent | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 32 percent | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 32.3 percent | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 49.52 percent | 45 percent | 52.1 percent | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.08 percent | 32.8 percent | 43.6 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.94 percent | 31.6 percent | 32.3 percent | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More reference data data for Zambia
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.0386 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies -0.018 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.3261 °C (2026)
- Exchange rate, new LCU per USD extended backward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Exchange rate, old LCU per USD extended forward, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Official exchange rate, LCU per USD, period average 19.51 (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5273 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.2981 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 483.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia?
- Share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted in Zambia was 32.3 percent in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.1 percent in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.6 percent in 2021.
- How does Zambia rank for share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted?
- Zambia ranks 22nd out of 160 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population undernourished vs. share of children who are stunted rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population undernourished vs. share 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
Childhood stunting is the share of children younger than five years that are stunted, which means they are two standard deviations below the median height-for-age of the WHO's Child Growth Standards. Undernourishment is when a person's daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.