Are Pakistan’s children taller than they were in 1990?

We Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics compared measured heights of children under 5 in two Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys, 1990-91 and 2017-18.

What we found:

• The average child under 5 is about 4 cm taller (78.5 cm then, 82.4 cm now).

• Newborns are about the same height. The gap builds with age, reaching about 4 cm at 4 to 5 years (94.2 cm to 98.4 cm).

• Boys and girls gained alike: about 4 cm for boys and about 3.7 cm for girls at ages 2 to 5.

That is real progress, and it suggests conditions after birth have improved, not that children are born different.

But it is not the whole story. Children are still shorter than the WHO growth standard expects, and stunting remains high. In the surveys we have analysed, it ranges from about 27% in Punjab to 48% in Sindh.

A few cautions: these are two surveys 27 years apart, with different sample sizes, and we have not adjusted for other changes. Figures carry sampling error. Mothers’ height was not measured in 1990-91, so we cannot tell how much of the gain reflects taller parents.
Data from the survey files are public. Corrections and thoughts from nutrition researchers are welcome.