Why Are More Malaysian Children Getting Stunted?

 

It is embarrassing that the problem of stunting in our children must be highlighted by international data organisations before it gains more attention locally. Stunting has worsened in children in Malaysia for the past 15–20 years. We have had good national data from the national health and morbidity surveys to show that stunting in children under five years has increased from 16.6% in 2011 to 21.8% in 2022.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) currently estimates that the stunting rate of children in Malaysia has increased to 24%. Stunting rates in much of the world are coming down. But ours is worsening. Countries poorer than us – Laos, Cambodia and Bangladesh – are doing better with a decline in stunting rates. We have now reached a childhood stunting rate close to that of Bangladesh. As a comparison, the 2024 childhood stunting rates in Singapore and South Korea were less than 3%.

 

The main reason for stunting among children in Malaysia is due to a lack of food security, i.e. a lack of adequate nutrition in childhood, as well as nutrition issues in pregnancy. Stunting is not something that happens just after you are born. It often happens before you are born.

The 2022 national survey data show a fairly high anaemic rate among pregnant women – a sign of nutrition issues and a major risk for low birth weight and stunting in the newborn. Data shows that stunting was higher among Sarawak and Sabah natives, and those with household incomes of less than RM1,000. Due to a lack of disaggregated data, Orang Asli children may have stunting rates of between 60% and 70%.

 

Stunting rates for children in detention, refugees, stateless people and migrants could be serious. All this points to poverty as a major factor for stunting. Over 1.2 million children are living in poverty in our country. In addition, we have many children who are eating enough calories to feel full, but are lacking essential nutrients – protein, iron, calcium and Vitamin D – required for brain and height growth.

 

Recent Southeast Asian nutrition surveys and Malaysia’s own 2024 health and morbidity survey show that 50% of Malaysian children do not eat a diverse diet, lacking a sufficient intake of fruits, vegetables and dairy.

 

Stunting is not primarily a medical problem or a failure of parenting. It is a failure of the many governments we have had in the past 20 years to act effectively in the face of good, national data showing that the problem has worsened. Right now, one in four children is stunted. The implications of this are staggering. The most tragic aspect of this crisis is its permanence – a window that closes forever.

 

We cannot continue with ‘business as usual’. The fact that past plans have failed means that current plans may not work. We must address the lack of accountability of government ministries and agencies tasked with stunting prevention. The critical window for preventing stunting is the first 1,000 days – from conception to a child’s second birthday. This must be our focus.

 

If we are serious about dealing with stunting in our children, we need a national bipartisan committee with all stakeholders involved. This committee needs strong civil society involvement and should be chaired by the prime minister.

 

Stunting steals a child’s future possibilities before they even have a chance to realise them. We cannot afford to let another generation grow up in the shadow of what they could have been. The impact of a 24% childhood stunting rate will harm the nation for decades into the future.

 

Reference:

Why are more Malaysian children getting stunted while neighbours reverse the trend?

Amar-Singh HSS, ALIRAN, 7 Feb 2026