Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted was 10.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka, 1987–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka stood at 10.5%.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka peaked at 31.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 2021.
Sri Lanka ranks 73rd of 97 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Malnutrition: Share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 31.2% | — |
| 1993 | 28.7% | -8.0% |
| 1995 | 26.1% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 18.3% | -29.9% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 19.2% | +6.1% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -24.0% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | +18.5% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | -51.4% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | -9.8% |
| 2022 | 9.2% | +24.3% |
| 2023 | 10.3% | +12.0% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 31.2% | 31.2% | 31.2% | 1 |
| 1990s | 27.4% | 26.1% | 28.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 18.1% | 19.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 8.4% | 17.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 9.1% | 7.4% | 10.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka?
- Malnutrition: share of children who are stunted in Sri Lanka was 10.5% in 2024, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 31.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are stunted recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for malnutrition: share of children who are stunted?
- Sri Lanka ranks 73rd out of 97 countries with data for 2024.
- Is malnutrition: share of children who are stunted rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.