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The determinants of child stunting and shifts in the growth pattern of children: A long‐run, global review

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  • Eric B. Schneider

Abstract

This article explores how child growth has changed over the past 150 years and links changes in child growth to the recent decline in child stunting in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). The article begins by defining the four characteristics of the growth pattern in height: size at birth, size at adulthood, the timing of the pubertal growth spurt, and the speed of maturation. It then shows how these characteristics have changed over time and links these characteristics to child stunting. Stunted children are too short for their age relative to healthy standards, and their share in the population is used as an indicator of malnutrition in LMICs today. The article then surveys the literature on the causes of changes in the growth pattern and reductions in child stunting, comparing research on current LMICs with historical research on current high‐income countries (HICs) in the past. To limit the scope of the contemporary literature, I focus on explanations of the so‐called “Indian enigma:” why Indian children are shorter than sub‐Saharan African children despite India's lead in many indicators of economic development. The article closes with ideas for what historical and contemporary researchers can learn from one another.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric B. Schneider, 2025. "The determinants of child stunting and shifts in the growth pattern of children: A long‐run, global review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(2), pages 405-452, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jecsur:v:39:y:2025:i:2:p:405-452
    DOI: 10.1111/joes.12591
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Bengtsson, Tommy & Quaranta, Luciana, 2025. "The escape from hunger: The impact of food prices on well-being in Sweden, 1813–1967," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    3. Reynolds, Nicholas, 2025. "Stunted Adolescence: The Anomalous Growth Pattern of Americans Born After Mid-Century," IZA Discussion Papers 18046, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Scott Alan Carson & Scott A. Carson, 2024. "A Post Bellum Paradox: Net Nutrition Variation by Socioeconomic Status, Gender and Race in the Late 19th Century," CESifo Working Paper Series 10899, CESifo.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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