Determinants of stunting among children under five years of age in Indonesia: A narrative review of indexed evidence published in 2025-2026

Stunting in Indonesia has declined, but the remaining burden is still large and unevenly distributed. This review was prepared to re-examine recent indexed evidence on determinants of stunting among children under five years of age in Indonesia, with attention to studies published in 2025-2026 and accessible through SINTA-accredited or internationally indexed sources. A narrative review design was used. Sources were identified from official national and global reports, SINTA journal records, and open-access nutrition or public health journals. The synthesis grouped determinants into birth and early-life factors, feeding and dietary factors, maternal and household factors, socioeconomic vulnerability, environmental health, service access, and geographic context. Recent evidence shows that stunting is rarely explained by one exposure. Low birth weight, short birth length, maternal and birth history, non-exclusive breastfeeding, inappropriate complementary feeding, poor dietary diversity, low intake or low bioavailability of key nutrients, food insecurity, poverty, low parental education, sanitation problems, helminth-related environmental risks, incomplete service contact, and rural-urban inequalities appear repeatedly across studies. Evidence from 2025-2026 also underlines a practical point: determinants differ by setting. Rural areas require stronger food-security, and service-access strategies, whereas urban and peri-urban settings need closer attention to household purchasing power, caregiver decision-making, and the quality of foods actually consumed. Indonesia therefore needs district-level stunting prevention that is specific to local risk profiles rather than a single uniform package.