Rwanda has recorded a reduction in stunting for under five years children, a decline from 33 percent in 2020 to 27 percent in 2025, according to the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey (RDHS) 2025.

The 2025 edition of the study shows that the burden of stunting has reduced both in scale and geographic spread.

In 2020, stunting prevalence exceeded 30 per cent in 20 districts, but by 2025 the number reduced to 11 districts, reflecting the impact of sustained nutrition and health interventions over the past five years, according to officials.

Wasting, an indicator of acute malnutrition, declined from 8 per cent to 6 per cent, pointing to improved early detection and treatment, while the proportion of underweighted children remained unchanged over the period.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, said stunting cannot be addressed in isolation, noting that it is closely linked to other problems including teenage pregnancy (which increased from 5 per cent to 8 per cent, in same timeframe), and neonatal mortality (decreased from 19 per cent to 17 per cent).

While acknowledging the progress made, the minister stressed that the current rate of decline falls short of government targets. “Our ambition, however, is to reduce stunting by three percentage points annually. That means we must increase our efforts threefold compared to what we are doing now," he said.

Maternal and child health indicators recorded notable improvements, with the maternal mortality ratio declining from 203 to 149 deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality decreased from 33 to 27 deaths per 1,000 live births, while under-five mortality fell from 45 to 36 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The urban districts of the City of Kigali recorded the lowest rates of child stunting nationwide, led by Nyarugenge District at 8.7%, followed by Kicukiro at 14.3% and Gasabo at 16% among children under five. Outside the City of Kigali, Rwamagana District stood out as the only district with a stunting rate below 20%, registering 19.2%.