Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico
Mexico: Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female was 11.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico, 1988–2022
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
In 2022, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico stood at 11.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.9% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico peaked at 26.9% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 10.7%, in 2016.
Mexico ranks 65th of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 12 years of available data.
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 26.9% | — |
| 1998 | 22.9% | -14.9% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | -10.5% |
| 2005 | 21.0% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -23.8% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 13.0% | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 10.7% | -17.7% |
| 2019 | 14.2% | +32.7% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 13.2% | -7.7% |
| 2022 | 11.5% | -12.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 26.9% | 26.9% | 26.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 22.9% | 22.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 16.0% | 21.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 13.3% | 10.7% | 15.2% | 4 |
| 2020s | 13.0% | 11.5% | 14.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More gender data for Mexico
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 30,197 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.9402 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 978,858 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 1.01 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 984,557 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 1.02 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 992,716 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 1.03 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 1.00 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 1.04 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico?
- Malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Mexico was 11.5% in 2022, 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 Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 26.9% in 1988.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.7% in 2016.
- How does Mexico rank for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female?
- Mexico ranks 65th out of 83 countries with data for 2022.
- Is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico 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 — 12 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.