Over a quarter of under-fives in South Africa are too short for their age — and the figure has been hovering around the same level for about three decades. But stunting is more than a growth problem; it’s also a developmental challenge. In February 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa opened a critical window to kickstart real action in improving how children grow, calling stunting “a massive crisis that demands attention and resources”. This type of clear political commitment is needed for policy change, as evidenced by countries like Peru and Indonesia, which have both brought down stunting rates significantly in less than a decade.
This learning brief is the first in an issue dedicated to unpacking the challenges of — and opportunities for — fixing early childhood nutrition, and looks at what multidisciplinary research tells us about the underlying complexities around stunting in South Africa.
To read this learning brief, download a PDF, or read it magazine-style on ISSUU.
