Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives
Maldives: Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female was 16.3% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives, 1994–2017
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 Maldives is 16.3%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives peaked at 53.5% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2017.
That places Maldives 53rd out of 83 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 36.6% | — |
| 1997 | 53.5% | +46.2% |
| 2001 | 32.6% | -39.1% |
| 2009 | 20.4% | -37.4% |
| 2017 | 16.3% | -20.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.0% | 36.6% | 53.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 26.5% | 20.4% | 32.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 16.3% | 16.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
- 51 Nicaragua 18.2% compare
- 52 Sri Lanka 17.9% compare
- 54 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 16.1% compare
- 55 Tajikistan 15.1% compare
- 56 Kyrgyzstan 15.0% compare
More gender data for Maldives
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 86.61 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -2.93 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 2,667 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 2,787 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 2,752 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 2,869 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 2,832 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 2,953 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 2,854 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 3,036 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives?
- Malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Maldives was 16.3% in 2017, 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 53.5% in 1997.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2017.
- How does Maldives rank for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female?
- Maldives ranks 53rd out of 83 countries with data for 2017.
- Is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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 — 5 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.