Stunting vs. GDP per capita in China
China: Stunting vs. GDP per capita was 4.8% in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Stunting vs. GDP per capita in China, 1987–2017
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
China recorded 4.8% for stunting vs. gdp per capita in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 51.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting vs. gdp per capita in China peaked at 38.3% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2017.
That places China 88th out of 97 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.3% | 38.3% | 38.3% | 1 |
| 1990s | 30.3% | 19.8% | 38.0% | 4 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 9.0% | 21.8% | 5 |
| 2010s | 7.4% | 4.8% | 9.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
- 85 Azerbaijan 6.6% compare
- 86 Uzbekistan 6.5% compare
- 87 Turkey 6.0% compare
- 88 Iran 4.8% compare
- 90 Jamaica 4.6% compare
- 91 United States 3.8% compare
More reference data data for China
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is stunting vs. gdp per capita in China?
- Stunting vs. gdp per capita in China was 4.8% in 2017, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 38.3% in 1987.
- What is the lowest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2017.
- How does China rank for stunting vs. gdp per capita?
- China ranks 88th out of 97 countries with data for 2017.
- Is stunting vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 Stunting vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Stunting measures the share of children younger than 5 years that are too short for their age. GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.