Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted was 10.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
10.8%
Change on year
down 18.2%
World rank
72nd
of 97 countries
All-time high
21.4%
in 1994
All-time low
9.3%
in 2004
Years of data
8
1994–2020

Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia, 1994–2020

051015201994200720201994: 21.4 %2004: 9.3 %2015: 13.7 %2016: 17.1 %2017: 17.2 %2018: 11.6 %2019: 13.2 %2020: 10.8 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia is 10.8%, measured in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% on the previous year and down 21.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia peaked at 21.4% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 2004.

That places Saudi Arabia 72nd out of 97 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia, 1994 to 2020.
Year % Change
1994 21.4%
2004 9.3% -56.5%
2015 13.7% +47.3%
2016 17.1% +24.8%
2017 17.2% +0.6%
2018 11.6% -32.6%
2019 13.2% +13.8%
2020 10.8% -18.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 21.4% 21.4% 21.4% 1
2000s 9.3% 9.3% 9.3% 1
2010s 14.6% 11.6% 17.2% 5
2020s 10.8% 10.8% 10.8% 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 69 Thailand 12.4% compare
  2. 70 Peru 11.5% compare
  3. 71 Oman 11.4% compare
  4. 73 Sri Lanka 10.5% compare
  5. 74 El Salvador 10.0% compare
  6. 75 Algeria 9.8% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia?
Malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia was 10.8% in 2020, 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 21.4% in 1994.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are stunted recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 2004.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for malnutrition: share of children who are stunted?
Saudi Arabia ranks 72nd out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 21.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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: Share of children who are stunted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-younger-than-5-who-suffer-from-stunting/saudi-arabia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-children-younger-than-5-who-suffer-from-stunting/saudi-arabia/">Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Saudi Arabia</a> — Statizoid

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.