Resources · Resources & Living Conditions
Children with stunted growth
Malnutrition severe enough to affect development
150,000,000
Current total · Example period
What this number is
Children under five whose growth has been restricted by chronic malnutrition.
Measured by height-for-age against growth standards.
Why it matters
Stunting is largely irreversible and follows a child through life.
How it is produced
Anthropometric survey data modelled to national and global estimates.
Plato's Cave classifies this figure as ESTIMATED. Estimated figures are built from samples and surveys, then scaled up. They carry a margin that is rarely printed alongside the headline.
How to read it carefully
This entry is still showing an example figure while research reaches it. Do not cite the number — use the sources below and the framing above.
Reference period: Example period. Last checked: Placeholder.
Plato's Cave commentary
Access to water, food, sanitation and shelter is the most basic test of whether a system works. These are also the numbers most often reported as national averages, which hides the worst-affected regions inside them.
Averages comfort. Distributions inform.