Stunting vs. GDP per capita in India

India: Stunting vs. GDP per capita was 35.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
35.5%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
14th
of 97 countries
All-time high
62.7%
in 1989
All-time low
35.5%
in 2020
Years of data
10
1989–2020

Stunting vs. GDP per capita in India, 1989–2020

02040601989200420201989: 62.7 %1991: 61.9 %1992: 57.1 %1997: 45.9 %1999: 51 %2006: 47.8 %2014: 38.7 %2015: 37.9 %2017: 36.1 %2020: 35.5 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, stunting vs. gdp per capita in India stood at 35.5%. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stunting vs. gdp per capita in India peaked at 62.7% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 35.5%, in 2020.

India ranks 14th of 97 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 62.7% 62.7% 62.7% 1
1990s 54.0% 45.9% 61.9% 4
2000s 47.8% 47.8% 47.8% 1
2010s 37.6% 36.1% 38.7% 3
2020s 35.5% 35.5% 35.5% 1

Countries ranked near India

  1. 11 Ethiopia 36.8% compare
  2. 12 Mozambique 36.7% compare
  3. 13 Lesotho 35.6% compare
  4. 14 Malawi 35.5% compare
  5. 16 Zambia 34.6% compare
  6. 17 Benin 34.1% compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is stunting vs. gdp per capita in India?
Stunting vs. gdp per capita in India was 35.5% in 2020, 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 India?
The highest recorded value was 62.7% in 1989.
What is the lowest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 35.5% in 2020.
How does India rank for stunting vs. gdp per capita?
India ranks 14th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is stunting vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this India 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 — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Stunting vs. GDP per capita
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

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.