Public Policy and Administration Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-5731(Paper) ISSN 2225-0972(Online) DOI: 10.7176/PPAR Vol.9, No.4, 2019 85 Prevalence of Stunted Growth in Pakistan: A Socio-economic Phenomenon. Musarrat Shamshir (Corresponding author) Faculty of Management Sciences, Greenwich University DK-10,38Steet, Darakshan, Phase VI, Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan Nooreen Mujahid Department of Economics, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan Muhammad Noman Department of Finance and Economics, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Campus III, 22-E, Block 6, PECHS, Karachi-75400, Pakistan . Omair Abbas Department of Business Administration, Greenwich University, DK-10,38Steet, Darakshan, Phase VI, Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan Abstract This study attempts to examine the relationship between the stunted growth with socioeconomic variables such as growth rate, fiscal expenditures on health and education, level female education and poverty level for the last two decades. In a developing country like Pakistan where the prevalence of stunted growth is nearly 50%, that is around fifty percent of the children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition and the expenditures on health is approximately 2.5% of the GDP, it is expected to have a significant relationship between the expenditures on health and stunted growth. Similarly, the female education rate is expected to have significant impact on the malnutrition of a child under-5 years of age. Pearson correlation estimates will be used to investigate the relationship; along with the multivariate regression analysis will be employed to measure the association, between the variables. The study finds the female education, poor living conditions and poverty as significant variables associated with stunted growth. Managing and controlling factors such as preventative healthcare focus on female adult education, access to clean drinking water and poverty alleviation, should be used to influence levels of stunting, in light of Pakistan Key Words: Stunted growth; Poverty; Female literacy rate; Pearson correlation test DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/9-4-10 Publication date: April 30 th 2019 1. Introduction Economic growth is widely considered as one the effective tools to fight poverty. Empirical evidence show low economic growth accompanied with high poverty levels documents mal-nutrition in children. A key indicator of chronic malnutrition is stunting- if a child’s height for age is two standard deviations less than the WHO Child Growth Standards median, they are considered to be suffering from stunting. The mal-nourished children have weak immune system, low physical ability and inability to reach the potential height. Stunting in childhood is one of the major impediments to human development and affects beyond 160 million children under the age of five. It is described as impaired growth and development as a result of poor nutrition, infections, lack of access to preventive healthcare, among others, with effects that are lasting and irreversible. Children diagnosed with stunting area at an increased risk of learning and cognitive delays, which later lead to lower productivity and wages later in life. Numerous studies have been conducted in countries all over the world to determine the causes and provide solutions to this epidemic. Typically, South Asian, African, and Latin American countries have been found with the highest rates of stunting in children, and these are also countries with the highest inequalities of income,