Stunted growth

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Stunted growth, also known as stunting, refers to impaired growth and development in children, which results in a lower than average height for the child's age. Stunted growth can develop due to a range of direct and indirect causes, often in the context of living in poverty and food insecurity. Causes include poor fetal growth in the womb (fetal growth restriction), unsafe sanitation, poor quality drinking water, childhood infections and diarrhea, malnutrition in the mother or the child. Stunting is largely irreversible if occurring in the first 1000 days from conception to two years of age. Stunting increases the risk of death during childhood. Affected children generally do not recover lost height, and once stunting occurs, its effects are often long-lasting. Stunted children may experience worse cognitive development and poorer health in adulthood. Among children under five years of age, the global stunting prevalence declined from 26.3% in 2012 to 22.3% in 2022 and 23.2% in 2024. It...

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