Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Malawi

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

Latest (2020)
35.5%
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
14th
of 97 countries
All-time high
62.3%
in 1998
All-time low
34.0%
in 2019
Years of data
16
1992–2020

Stunting vs. GDP per capita in Malawi, 1992–2020

02040601992200620201992: 55.4 %1995: 53.8 %1998: 62.3 %2000: 54.7 %2002: 58.3 %2004: 52.5 %2006: 53.1 %2009: 48.8 %2010: 47.3 %2014: 42.4 %2015: 37.4 %2016: 38.3 %2017: 39.3 %2018: 39 %2019: 34 %2020: 35.5 %

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

Analysis

Malawi recorded 35.5% for stunting vs. gdp per capita in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, stunting vs. gdp per capita in Malawi peaked at 62.3% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 34.0%, in 2019.

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

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 57.2% 53.8% 62.3% 3
2000s 53.5% 48.8% 58.3% 5
2010s 39.7% 34.0% 47.3% 7
2020s 35.5% 35.5% 35.5% 1

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 11 Ethiopia 36.8% compare
  2. 12 Mozambique 36.7% compare
  3. 13 Lesotho 35.6% compare
  4. 14 India 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 Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is stunting vs. gdp per capita in Malawi?
Stunting vs. gdp per capita in Malawi 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 Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 62.3% in 1998.
What is the lowest stunting vs. gdp per capita recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 34.0% in 2019.
How does Malawi rank for stunting vs. gdp per capita?
Malawi ranks 14th out of 97 countries with data for 2020.
Is stunting vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi 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 — 16 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.