KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 18): Further research is needed to understand Malaysia's high level of childhood stunting, a key marker for malnutrition, which affects one in five Malaysian children, said the World Bank.

Although data shows that stunting most often occurs among low income groups, it is still high across different states, ethnicities and income levels, the World Bank pointed out in its biannual Dec 2018 Malaysian Economic Monitor released today.

"We are in a race against time to ensure all children can reach their full potential," said Gabriel Demombynes, the World Bank's programme leader for human development in Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand.

Meanwhile, deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the ministry has identified Orang Asli communities and urban low-cost flats in which stunting is prevalent.

"We've heard that it is a current problem and it may become a future problem if we don't address it now," he said on the sidelines of the World Bank's conference today, adding it may be due to parents not having time to provide sufficient nutritious food to their children.

Lee said the ministry is "happy that a lot of non-governmental organisations have come forward to offer their assistance".

Separately, the World Bank also highlighted that Malaysian schoolchildren spend only 9.1 years learning on average despite spending an average of 12.2 years in school.

This sets the country below the average 13.1 years of schooling in high income countries, the report added.

Education, healthcare and social protection are among the World Bank's key areas of focus as part of its Human Capital Index metric, for which Malaysia scores 62%.

This means children in Malaysia will only be 62% as productive as they could be in adulthood, the World Bank said.