Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted was 19.1% in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
19.1%
World rank
47th
of 97 countries
All-time high
63.9%
in 1998
All-time low
19.1%
in 2017
Years of data
7
1998–2017

Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1998–2017

20304050601998200720171998: 63.9 %2000: 51 %2002: 44.7 %2004: 43.1 %2009: 32.4 %2012: 27.9 %2017: 19.1 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of recorded 19.1% for malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 41.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 63.9% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 19.1%, in 2017.

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 47th of 97 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year

Annual values for Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1998 to 2017.
Year % Change
1998 63.9%
2000 51.0% -20.2%
2002 44.7% -12.4%
2004 43.1% -3.6%
2009 32.4% -24.8%
2012 27.9% -13.9%
2017 19.1% -31.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 63.9% 63.9% 63.9% 1
2000s 42.8% 32.4% 51.0% 4
2010s 23.5% 19.1% 27.9% 2

Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

  1. 44 Malaysia 21.2% compare
  2. 45 Burkina Faso 21.1% compare
  3. 46 Eswatini 20.0% compare
  4. 48 Honduras 18.7% compare
  5. 49 Comoros 18.2% compare
  6. 49 Viet Nam 18.2% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

All data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 19.1% in 2017, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest malnutrition: share of children who are stunted recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 1998.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are stunted recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
The lowest recorded value was 19.1% in 2017.
How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for malnutrition: share of children who are stunted?
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 47th out of 97 countries with data for 2017.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 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: Share of children who are stunted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-younger-than-5-who-suffer-from-stunting/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted
Unit
%
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
97 places, 955 data points, 1985–2024
Last refreshed

Share of children younger than five years old who are defined as stunted. Stunting is when a child is significantly shorter than the average for their age. It is a consequence of poor nutrition or repeated infection.