Stunting vs. GDP per capita in India
India: Stunting vs. GDP per capita was 35.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Stunting vs. GDP per capita in India, 1989–2020
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.
Stunting vs. GDP per capita in India, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 62.7% | — |
| 1991 | 61.9% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 57.1% | -7.8% |
| 1997 | 45.9% | -19.6% |
| 1999 | 51.0% | +11.1% |
| 2006 | 47.8% | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | -19.0% |
| 2015 | 37.9% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 36.1% | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 35.5% | -1.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 35.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 22.7%, 1.6× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- India's 35.5% is above the median for South Asia, which is 20.8%, 1.7× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for India
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 68.88 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 246.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 70.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 19.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 309.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1,063 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 85.03 (2050)
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
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.