Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria
Nigeria: Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female was 35.0% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria, 1990–2021
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
Nigeria recorded 35.0% for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria peaked at 49.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 35.0%, in 2021.
Nigeria ranks 18th of 83 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Malnutrition: Prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 49.7% | — |
| 2003 | 45.7% | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 36.8% | -19.5% |
| 2014 | 35.4% | -3.8% |
| 2015 | 35.6% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 45.7% | +28.4% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | -13.8% |
| 2020 | 36.1% | -8.4% |
| 2021 | 35.0% | -3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 49.7% | 49.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 38.6% | 35.4% | 45.7% | 5 |
| 2020s | 35.5% | 35.0% | 36.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More gender data for Nigeria
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 99,803 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6887 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 3.55 million (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 3.66 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 3.45 million (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 3.54 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 3.46 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 3.30 million (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 3.38 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria?
- Malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female in Nigeria was 35.0% in 2021, 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 49.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.0% in 2021.
- How does Nigeria rank for malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female?
- Nigeria ranks 18th out of 83 countries with data for 2021.
- Is malnutrition: prevalence of childhood stunting, male vs. female rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 9 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.