placestats

Child stunting vs. Male labor participation

Holds up after adjusting for income

Across 150 countries, Child stunting and Male labor participation rise and fall together at r = +0.18 (on a scale from −1 to +1, where 0 means no link). It holds up almost unchanged when only countries with similar income (GDP per person) are compared (r = +0.34, q = 0.011, allowing for the many pairs tested). Caution: direction is not consistent across regions.

Comparing countries across the middle half of male labor participation, 65% to 76.3% of men 15+, child stunting is worse by 2.57% of children under 5 at the top of that range than the bottom. Comparing only countries with similar national income, the gap is 3.06% of children under 5.

Link before adjusting (r)+0.177p = 0.030 · 150 countries
After adjusting for national income+0.336p = 2.8e-5 · likely range [+0.19, +0.47]
p, allowing for regions0.029standard error 0.118 · 7 regions
Check for luck (q)0.011across 12,497 pairs

How to read these.r runs from −1 (one goes up as the other goes down) to +1 (they rise together), and 0 means no link. Adjusting for national income means comparing countries with the same GDP per person, so differences in wealth can’t explain the link. Income is used in percentage terms, since an extra $1,000 means more to a poor country than to a rich one. p is how likely a link this strong would be if there were really none. Below 0.05 means it is unlikely to be chance. Very small values are written in short form: 1.1e-32 means a decimal point followed by 31 zeros and then 11, so very close to zero. The likely range is where the true figure probably lies, and a range that crosses zero means the link could easily be chance. Countries in the same region tend to resemble each other, so the third figure allows for that, which gives a fairer p. The standard error is the typical size of the error in r. Finally, testing this many pairs means some will look strong by luck alone. A q below 0.05 means this link is unlikely to be one of those.

Child stunting · % of children under 5link with income -0.80 · proxy
Male labor participation · % of men 15+link with income -0.06 · independent

“Link with income” is how closely each measure tracks GDP per person across countries, from −1 to +1.

Every country as a dot

Child stunting · % of children under 5 →Male labor participation · % of men 15+ →1%55.3%24%95.6%Afghanistan: 42% of children under 5, 69.8% of men 15+Angola: 47.7% of children under 5, 77.5% of men 15+Albania: 7.4% of children under 5, 70.2% of men 15+Argentina: 10.7% of children under 5, 71.7% of men 15+Armenia: 6.2% of children under 5, 69.5% of men 15+Australia: 3.1% of children under 5, 70.7% of men 15+Azerbaijan: 6.8% of children under 5, 66% of men 15+Burundi: 55.3% of children under 5, 77% of men 15+Belgium: 2.6% of children under 5, 59% of men 15+Benin: 33.2% of children under 5, 77.6% of men 15+Burkina Faso: 19.5% of children under 5, 76.1% of men 15+Bangladesh: 25.1% of children under 5, 80.4% of men 15+Bulgaria: 5.5% of children under 5, 62.4% of men 15+Bahrain: 4.6% of children under 5, 85.9% of men 15+Bosnia and Herzegovina: 7.9% of children under 5, 60% of men 15+Belarus: 1.1% of children under 5, 69.9% of men 15+Belize: 11.7% of children under 5, 71.6% of men 15+Bolivia: 10.7% of children under 5, 84.4% of men 15+Brazil: 8.9% of children under 5, 73.4% of men 15+Barbados: 5.8% of children under 5, 68.7% of men 15+Brunei Darussalam: 9.9% of children under 5, 72.8% of men 15+Bhutan: 17.9% of children under 5, 71.8% of men 15+Botswana: 21% of children under 5, 74% of men 15+Central African Republic: 38.9% of children under 5, 82.8% of men 15+Chile: 1.7% of children under 5, 71.9% of men 15+China: 4.5% of children under 5, 69.9% of men 15+Cote d'Ivoire: 20.3% of children under 5, 74.4% of men 15+Cameroon: 27.2% of children under 5, 73.9% of men 15+Congo, Dem. Rep.: 44.1% of children under 5, 66.8% of men 15+Congo, Rep.: 16.3% of children under 5, 70.1% of men 15+Colombia: 11.6% of children under 5, 75.7% of men 15+Comoros: 17.4% of children under 5, 63.9% of men 15+Cabo Verde: 5.3% of children under 5, 63.4% of men 15+Costa Rica: 10.6% of children under 5, 69.8% of men 15+Czechia: 2.4% of children under 5, 67.5% of men 15+Germany: 2.2% of children under 5, 66.1% of men 15+Djibouti: 20.9% of children under 5, 44.6% of men 15+Dominican Republic: 5.6% of children under 5, 76.4% of men 15+Algeria: 8.9% of children under 5, 66.4% of men 15+Ecuador: 17.7% of children under 5, 76.9% of men 15+Egypt, Arab Rep.: 12.9% of children under 5, 70.5% of men 15+Estonia: 1.3% of children under 5, 69.8% of men 15+Ethiopia: 35.5% of children under 5, 78.6% of men 15+Finland: 1.7% of children under 5, 63% of men 15+Fiji: 7.2% of children under 5, 76.5% of men 15+Gabon: 13.7% of children under 5, 60.1% of men 15+United Kingdom: 3.5% of children under 5, 65.6% of men 15+Georgia: 4.7% of children under 5, 73.5% of men 15+Ghana: 15.6% of children under 5, 61.8% of men 15+Guinea: 26.6% of children under 5, 63.1% of men 15+Gambia, The: 14% of children under 5, 49.5% of men 15+Guinea-Bissau: 28.3% of children under 5, 69.6% of men 15+Equatorial Guinea: 17.1% of children under 5, 67.2% of men 15+Greece: 2% of children under 5, 59.9% of men 15+Guatemala: 44.6% of children under 5, 81.7% of men 15+Guyana: 7.1% of children under 5, 63.3% of men 15+Honduras: 17.9% of children under 5, 73.5% of men 15+Haiti: 21.6% of children under 5, 69.7% of men 15+Indonesia: 22.6% of children under 5, 82.3% of men 15+India: 32.9% of children under 5, 77.6% of men 15+Ireland: 2.2% of children under 5, 70.1% of men 15+Iran, Islamic Rep.: 4.8% of children under 5, 67.2% of men 15+Iraq: 9.4% of children under 5, 72.6% of men 15+Jamaica: 6.9% of children under 5, 76.3% of men 15+Jordan: 7.7% of children under 5, 62.5% of men 15+Japan: 5.2% of children under 5, 71.5% of men 15+Kazakhstan: 4.4% of children under 5, 73.4% of men 15+Kenya: 17.9% of children under 5, 71.8% of men 15+Kyrgyz Republic: 11% of children under 5, 71.4% of men 15+Cambodia: 22% of children under 5, 87.8% of men 15+Korea, Rep.: 1.8% of children under 5, 72% of men 15+Kuwait: 4.5% of children under 5, 88.6% of men 15+Lao PDR: 29.9% of children under 5, 70.6% of men 15+Lebanon: 10.1% of children under 5, 66.7% of men 15+Liberia: 26.9% of children under 5, 81.2% of men 15+Libya: 9.2% of children under 5, 62.5% of men 15+St. Lucia: 2.8% of children under 5, 74.8% of men 15+Sri Lanka: 10.1% of children under 5, 67.8% of men 15+Lesotho: 35% of children under 5, 66.9% of men 15+Lithuania: 1.6% of children under 5, 69% of men 15+Latvia: 1.7% of children under 5, 66.8% of men 15+Morocco: 13.7% of children under 5, 68.1% of men 15+Moldova: 4.2% of children under 5, 72.2% of men 15+Madagascar: 38.4% of children under 5, 88.1% of men 15+Maldives: 14.2% of children under 5, 76.4% of men 15+Mexico: 13.1% of children under 5, 77.1% of men 15+North Macedonia: 3.8% of children under 5, 61.8% of men 15+Mali: 23.2% of children under 5, 81% of men 15+Malta: 3.5% of children under 5, 71.5% of men 15+Myanmar: 24.5% of children under 5, 69.7% of men 15+Montenegro: 8% of children under 5, 65.4% of men 15+Mongolia: 7.1% of children under 5, 68.2% of men 15+Mozambique: 37% of children under 5, 80.5% of men 15+Mauritania: 21.5% of children under 5, 56.6% of men 15+Mauritius: 7.8% of children under 5, 69.7% of men 15+Malawi: 33.2% of children under 5, 67.3% of men 15+Malaysia: 24.3% of children under 5, 79.2% of men 15+Namibia: 16.4% of children under 5, 63% of men 15+Niger: 48.3% of children under 5, 86.5% of men 15+Nigeria: 33.8% of children under 5, 84.3% of men 15+Netherlands: 1.6% of children under 5, 71.9% of men 15+Nepal: 26% of children under 5, 52.9% of men 15+Oman: 12.9% of children under 5, 88.1% of men 15+Pakistan: 33.6% of children under 5, 80.1% of men 15+Panama: 14% of children under 5, 77.9% of men 15+Peru: 10.6% of children under 5, 80.9% of men 15+Philippines: 27.7% of children under 5, 72.5% of men 15+Papua New Guinea: 47.6% of children under 5, 53.3% of men 15+Poland: 1% of children under 5, 65.6% of men 15+Portugal: 3.2% of children under 5, 62.1% of men 15+Paraguay: 3.2% of children under 5, 81.6% of men 15+West Bank and Gaza: 8% of children under 5, 72.1% of men 15+Qatar: 5.4% of children under 5, 95.6% of men 15+Romania: 7% of children under 5, 61.7% of men 15+Rwanda: 29.8% of children under 5, 70.6% of men 15+Saudi Arabia: 11.1% of children under 5, 83.3% of men 15+Sudan: 35.4% of children under 5, 61.6% of men 15+Senegal: 17.2% of children under 5, 65.7% of men 15+Singapore: 2.8% of children under 5, 75.4% of men 15+Solomon Islands: 29.8% of children under 5, 86.2% of men 15+Sierra Leone: 25.2% of children under 5, 55.2% of men 15+El Salvador: 9.4% of children under 5, 77.3% of men 15+Somalia, Fed. Rep.: 23.9% of children under 5, 47.2% of men 15+Serbia: 4.6% of children under 5, 66.5% of men 15+Sao Tome and Principe: 10% of children under 5, 24% of men 15+Suriname: 8% of children under 5, 62.9% of men 15+Eswatini: 18.9% of children under 5, 54% of men 15+Syrian Arab Republic: 23.5% of children under 5, 61.4% of men 15+Chad: 31.5% of children under 5, 71.7% of men 15+Togo: 23% of children under 5, 59% of men 15+Thailand: 12.3% of children under 5, 75% of men 15+Tajikistan: 13.1% of children under 5, 55.8% of men 15+Turkmenistan: 6.5% of children under 5, 46.1% of men 15+Timor-Leste: 45.4% of children under 5, 72.2% of men 15+Tonga: 1.6% of children under 5, 59% of men 15+Trinidad and Tobago: 7.8% of children under 5, 68.1% of men 15+Tunisia: 8.9% of children under 5, 64.9% of men 15+Turkiye: 5.5% of children under 5, 71.9% of men 15+Tanzania: 29.9% of children under 5, 87.3% of men 15+Uganda: 23.5% of children under 5, 84.6% of men 15+Ukraine: 11.7% of children under 5, 62.8% of men 15+Uruguay: 6.5% of children under 5, 73.4% of men 15+United States: 4.2% of children under 5, 67.1% of men 15+Uzbekistan: 6.7% of children under 5, 73.9% of men 15+Viet Nam: 19.2% of children under 5, 77.3% of men 15+Vanuatu: 31% of children under 5, 62.9% of men 15+Samoa: 8.4% of children under 5, 54.5% of men 15+South Africa: 24.4% of children under 5, 61.7% of men 15+Zambia: 32.3% of children under 5, 67.6% of men 15+Zimbabwe: 23.7% of children under 5, 74.3% of men 15+BDIBHRDJIKWTMDGNERPNGQATSTPTKMTON

best-fit line line after adjusting

Four ways to measure the link

MethodrpCountries
Standard (Pearson), not adjusted+0.1770.030150
By rank (Spearman), not adjusted+0.2030.013150
Standard (Pearson), adjusted for national income+0.3362.8e-5150
By rank (Spearman), adjusted for national income+0.3343.1e-5150

The rank version uses only each country’s place in line, from lowest to highest, so a few extreme countries count for less. The adjusted and unadjusted versions use the same 150 countries: those that report both measures and GDP per person. So the gap between them comes from the adjustment, not from a change in which countries are counted. Drop in the size of r after adjusting: -0.159 (a minus sign means it grew).

How solid is it?

Leaving out one country at a time, r ranges from +0.310 (without STP) to +0.384 (without PNG). The bar above shows that range on a scale from −1 to +1, with the solid line at the full result. The single country that moves r most: PNG (+0.048).

Fragile: this link may not hold up.
  • direction is not consistent across regions

Within each region

Countries are not separate, unrelated cases, and neighbors share a lot. A link that holds inside each region is far more believable than one that shows up only when comparing regions.

nr
East Asia & Pacific22+0.15
Europe & Central Asia32-0.20
Latin America & Caribbean24+0.17
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan20+0.41
Sub-Saharan Africa45+0.49

By income third

If the link shows up only in the richest third of countries, it is a feature of rich countries, not a general pattern.

nr
Poorest third50+0.26
Middle third50+0.38
Richest third50+0.43

By largest religious group

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
Christians84+0.16
Muslims48+0.51

By last european coloniser

Countries grouped by a label they share, such as main religion, rather than by a number. Groups of fewer than twelve countries are not shown. These groups differ in income, region and history all at once. So a gap between them is a place to start asking questions, not an answer.

nr
France25+0.36
Never a European colony21+0.39
Spain18+0.08
United Kingdom48+0.27

Without outliers (countries far outside the middle half of countries on either measure, by more than one and a half times the width of that middle half): r = +0.279 after dropping 6 countries.

Two series, one country

Both measures over the years for one country you pick. The two charts are stacked so they share only the years along the bottom.

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Over time, within countries

Everything above compares countries with each other at one moment. This section compares each country only with itself over 25years. So a link here can’t come from anything about a country that stays the same, such as its history, geography, institutions or culture.

Within countries over time, there is no link that is clearly more than chance (r = +0.056, comparing each country only with itself over the years, and each year only with the same year elsewhere). Whatever the cross-country picture shows, countries whose child stunting moved did not tend to see their male labor participation move with it.

Across countries (adjusted)+0.336for comparison
Within countries+0.314each country vs itself
…and vs the same year elsewhere+0.056q = 0.619 · 156 countries
Year-on-year changes+0.009q = 0.814
Read with care.
  • Almost all of this indicator's variation is between countries, not within them, so the within-country estimate rests on a small part of the data.
  • Much of the within-country association disappears once shared global year effects are removed, which points to a common worldwide trend rather than a country-level relationship.

3,891 country-years (one country in one year), 156 countries, 2000–2024, about 25 years each on average. Share of the variation that happens within countries over time: 8% for Child stunting, 9% for Male labor participation. The margins of error allow for each country appearing many times, and for each year’s value being close to the year before.

Year-to-year changes are a cautious test, not a final answer. Looking only at changes from one year to the next removes each country’s own trends. But it also makes measurement mistakes louder, which pulls the results toward zero. A near-zero result here is weak evidence of no link, not proof.

With one measure years behind the other

0.10−0.1-100+10years Male labor participation trails Child stunting →lag -10: r = 0.001 (n = 3,900)lag -9: r = 0.022 (n = 3,900)lag -8: r = 0.039 (n = 3,900)lag -7: r = 0.055 (n = 3,900)lag -6: r = 0.066 (n = 3,900)lag -5: r = 0.072 (n = 3,900)lag -4: r = 0.064 (n = 3,900)lag -3: r = 0.061 (n = 3,900)lag -2: r = 0.059 (n = 3,899)lag -1: r = 0.058 (n = 3,896)lag +0: r = 0.056 (n = 3,891)lag +1: r = 0.054 (n = 3,886)lag +2: r = 0.053 (n = 3,730)lag +3: r = 0.049 (n = 3,574)lag +4: r = 0.044 (n = 3,418)lag +5: r = 0.040 (n = 3,262)lag +6: r = 0.036 (n = 3,106)lag +7: r = 0.033 (n = 2,950)lag +8: r = 0.032 (n = 2,794)lag +9: r = 0.036 (n = 2,638)lag +10: r = 0.034 (n = 2,482)

Same year (lag 0): +0.056. A peak away from zero does not show which comes first. These series change slowly — this year’s value is close to last year’s. That makes the curve smooth and nearly symmetric, whatever produced the data. Even a sharp peak at one lag (a gap of some years) would not prove that one measure changes the other.

The data


% of children under 5
% of men 15+		Years
Burundi BDI55.3%77%2024, 2025
Niger NER48.3%86.5%2024, 2025
Angola AGO47.7%77.5%2024, 2025
Papua New Guinea PNG47.6%53.3%2024, 2025
Timor-Leste TLS45.4%72.2%2024, 2025
Guatemala GTM44.6%81.7%2024, 2025
Congo, Dem. Rep. COD44.1%66.8%2024, 2025
Afghanistan AFG42%69.8%2024, 2025
Central African Republic CAF38.9%82.8%2024, 2025
Madagascar MDG38.4%88.1%2024, 2025
Mozambique MOZ37%80.5%2024, 2025
Ethiopia ETH35.5%78.6%2024, 2025
Sudan SDN35.4%61.6%2024, 2022
Lesotho LSO35%66.9%2024, 2025
Nigeria NGA33.8%84.3%2024, 2025

World Bank, World Development Indicators
World Bank, World Development Indicators

Sources

Child stunting

Prevalence of stunting, height for age, modelled estimate (% of children under 5)

UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

An estimate from a statistical model. The agencies fit a model to household surveys and predict every country and year. So this is smoother than the surveys behind it, and it has values for years nobody measured. The survey-only series never reaches sixty countries in any year.

Male labor participation

Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population 15+)

International Labour Organization · CC BY 4.0 · updated quarterly

How this was computed

Data used: most recent value in 2010-2025; values come from 2021–2025. To adjust for income, each measure is first predicted from GDP per person (in percentage terms, on a log scale) with a straight-line fit. Only what is left over is then compared. This is called a partial correlation. The line is drawn the standard way (ordinary least squares), which picks the line that comes closest to all the countries at once. The error margins allow for countries in the same region resembling each other, using 7 World Bank regions. The q-value corrects for testing all 12,497 pairs at once, using the Benjamini–Hochberg method. Underlying data last updated DYB 2024. How the country data works · explore Child stunting and Male labor participation

This page shows that two measures go together. It does not show that Child stunting changes Male labor participation, or the reverse. These figures also describe countries, not individual people. See the ecological fallacy.

More links with Child stunting or Male labor participation