Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia
Bolivia: Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female was 16.1% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia, 1989–2016
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia is 16.1%, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 42.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia peaked at 45.7% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2016.
That places Bolivia 54th out of 83 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 45.7% | — |
| 1994 | 36.6% | -19.9% |
| 1998 | 34.4% | -6.0% |
| 2003 | 33.4% | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 28.0% | -16.2% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | -28.2% |
| 2016 | 16.1% | -19.9% |
Bolivia compared with similar countries
- Bolivia's 16.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.6%, 65% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Bolivia's 16.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 13.4%, 1.2× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 35.5% | 34.4% | 36.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 30.7% | 28.0% | 33.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 18.1% | 16.1% | 20.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Bolivia
More gender data for Bolivia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 3,733 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.1438 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 9,673 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 9,673 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.64 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 124,797 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 129,451 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 123,730 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 128,219 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 123,147 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia?
- Malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Bolivia was 16.1% in 2016, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Bolivia?
- The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 1989.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Bolivia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2016.
- How does Bolivia rank for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female?
- Bolivia ranks 54th out of 83 countries with data for 2016.
- Is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female rising or falling in Bolivia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bolivia data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children younger than 5 years, male versus female, that fall below two standard deviations from the median height-for-age of the WHO Child Growth Standards.